Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Kaoru ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Kaoru frowned once Kenshin disappeared why was she being so easy, she couldn't let him walk out on her like that no. "Kenshin" she said angrily and ran out of the dojo gates to find Kenshin gone. "Not this time Himura" she growled and ran through the crowd, 'I will not let him leave me again' she thought as she continued running. She smiled when she saw the end of his long loose ponytail disappear around a corner. She smiled and ran over turned the corner to see Kenshin walking towards a path that lead up a hill, she had never gone there before but to get Kenshin back she had to follow him and she swore she would not return to the dojo unless he came too.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  & nbsp;     Yahiko frowned as Sano dropped him on the pavement "here we are" he said proudly looking at the small hut "Sano" a man ran out a pulled Sano inside with his left hand the other dragging Yahiko. "I say it red" Sano said who immediately joined in the gamble, and began to pretend to listen to Sano how to win "Sano I don't know why your even bothering to talk to the kid" "what do you mean Naoy?" "look" Naoy pointed over at Yahiko who was just nodding his head "hey!" Yahiko cried in surprise "are you listening to me?" Yahiko nodded his head again and Sano punched him atop the head. "Hey what was that for?" Yahiko cried "for not listening shrimp" "Shrimp?" Yahiko yelled, "I'll show you!" Yahiko jumped on Sano and once again began to bite his head making Naoy, Sacoy, Leo, and Naoy sweat-drop while Sano slowly brought his hand up to his head grabbed Yahiko and threw him across the room.

        Yahiko glared at Sano and mumbled something under his breath before walking over and sitting on the opposite side of Sano who smiled and said "I bet it lands on red" Leo threw the dice down on the black and red board, the dice slowly rolled onto an edge of one of the reds "hah" Sano cried happily before the dice flipped once more onto black. Sano stared in shock and his mouth fell open, the toothpick he was holding slipped out onto the ground as he just simply stared at the dice. Yahiko began to snicker.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

Kenshin hiked up the mountain Kaoru close behind 'either he doesn't know I'm here or he's just ignoring me' Kaoru thought as she continued behind Kenshin. He smiled as they reached the top of the mountain where there lay a small hill with plants on it and a broken fence, behind the small fence was a pile of ashes which Kaoru guessed must have once been a house. Kenshin smiled and walked over to the ashes and looked at them "you see Miss Kaoru" Kenshin said "you knew I was behind you this entire time?!" Kaoru cried Kenshin nodded his head still looking down at the ashes "yes Miss Kaoru I knew." Kenshin smiled and looked at the ashes before turning to Kaoru "this is where I was told to hide during the revolution," Kenshin frowned, "this is where I lived with my wife Tomoe." Kaoru gasped so Tomoe had been his wife "Miss Kaoru," Kenshin asked, "if I may say you do somehow remind me of her" Kenshin said turning to Kaoru.

"You both have that kind spirit in you," Kenshin smiled, "in so many ways do I miss her." "You see Miss Kaoru, I would have stayed here after the revolution was over but Tomoe ran in front of my sword strike and I killed her. I brought her here instead of leaving her in the cold red snow, I brought her back to where we were living, where I was hiding, this Miss Kaoru was my true home later during the revolution." Kaoru looked at Kenshin in surprise, so this is why he was so open around her she reminded him of Tomoe. "I set her on the floor against some books and set the house on fire, hoping to forget her Miss Kaoru I walked away and became a wanderer, but then I met you and you reminded me of her so much." "Kenshin... I knew you lived a rough life, but this is something I never would have dreamed," Kaoru frowned walking over next to Kenshin "she was a marvelous person Miss Kaoru, a marvelous person indeed."

Kenshin sighed and Kaoru looked from him to the ashes "Kenshin," Kaoru said, "to tell you the truth I'd always thought that..." "I know," Kenshin said sadly, "if only you knew how hard it was Miss Kaoru." Kaoru sat with her knees on the ground and stared at the ashes as Kenshins words rang through her head 'if only you knew how hard it was' sighing Kaoru remembered the stories her father used to tell her about the revolution, she had always thought he exaggerated on some parts but now Kenshin proved her wrong. "I loved Tomoe with all my heart Miss Kaoru" Kenshin said his voice soft and sad "I left the toy I had always played with as a boy beside her and let it burn too."

Kaoru got up and walked over to the weeded dead garden "we used that to trade for our food," Kenshin said, "the first time Tomoe did it..the plants died so we had a bad harvest." Kaoru heard Kenshin gulp and knew he was holding something else. "Snow I've hated it since" Kenshin said, Kaoru could only look at him as he turned his back "I've been thing of rebuilding the place for quite some time but something always stops me" Kenshin said sadly. "It was always me" Kaoru said "no Miss Kaoru, it was never your fault, it wasn't all the fights, it was just something unexplainable." Kaoru only looked at Kenshins back, it was heart breaking to know that she loved him but he still held that place for Tomoe.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yahiko looked around and said "I bet it lands on black" "fine I bet it lands on red" Sano said he had lost the last three bets and Yahiko had decided to join. Leo smiled after his and the others bet and threw the dice, they rolled and rolled until they finally stopped on black. Sano sighed he had lost all his money and Yahiko had won two games in a row, it just was unfair.

"Come on little guy we're going back to the dojo" "little?!" Yahiko cried and once more jumped on Sano's head and of course was once more thrown across the room easily. Yahiko growled and followed Sano towards the Kamiya dojo where they were surprised to find neither Kenshin nor Kaoru. "Now where are those two?" Sano cried, Yahiko's stomach growled "well where ever they are they better get back here fast I'm hungry!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

Kaoru sniffed as Kenshin spoke "this is why Miss Kaoru, you remind me too much of her and I can't stand that, and seeing you...the Battousai...danger" Kenshin couldn't speak the other words, for some reason he had lost his power to speak to her. "So that's it huh?" he heard Kaoru say, "you idiot!" she cried "so your just gonna run away, I told you I don't care wither you're the Battousai or not, just as long as you're here with me" Kaoru quickly covered her mouth turned away. "All those times you came to save me, all those times you fought you were brave and now because you keep changing back and forth into the Battousai , you act as if it's the only thing that scares you, that makes you run away!" Kaoru frowned, "so fine be a wanderer, run away, see if I care!"

They both turned and faced each other and Kenshin could see the tears form in Kaoru's eyes, "Miss Kaoru please don't cry" but Kaoru just frowned and then she saw a tear drop from his eye, she had never seen him cry before. Kenshin looked down so his bangs hid his purple eyes "I can promise you Miss Kaoru," he said, "we will meet again." Kaoru frowned and tears fell then she remembered the promise she made, she wouldn't leave without Kenshin "your just running away Kenshin and you know it," she yelled, "I can't believe I ever thought you were brave, I can't believe I ever thought you brave Kenshin!" she punched his with both anger and sadness and all he could say was "oro?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

Yahiko looked at the clock then at Sano who had his mouth open and was lying on the floor. "Where the heck are those two?" Sano cried his stomach rumbling (AN: my apologies peoples for screwing up on the girls, Suzume is the oldest and Ayame the youngest sorry) Yahiko finally fell on the floor in full view of the clock "maybe we should go out for dinner to Acishutos" Sano suggested "no money" "who said we have to pay?" Yahiko looked over at him but and was about to say something but when his stomach growled he said "okay." So the two got up and left for Acishutos.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

Kenshin and Kaoru looked at the ashes and when Kenshin turned to leave Kaoru simply grabbed him and began to hit him on the head with her wooden sword. "Let me knock some sense into you Kenshin," she said, "if you leave, that won't make any difference it's the Battousai that threatens me to not tell so if you leave I'll bet you anything in the world that you will find yourself in the dojo or near me." Kenshin's eye's swirled and bumps began to grow out of his head as Kaoru continued "you see Kenshin no matter what it doesn't matter because you'll always have a part of me with you!" she cried pointing to the piece of her obi that hung out of his pack. Kenshin knew she was right and Kaoru stopped hitting him and she put her hand over her heart "and I want you to know Kenshin that no matter what you say, do, or anything you will always be with me." Kaoru's tears fell once more and she turned to leave "and Kenshin," she added, "remember that I love you and would never take the place of Tomoe."

With all that said and done Kaoru began to leave 'that aught to have gotten through to him' she smiled and walked back down the mountain path leaving Kenshin to just stand there confused. Cursing silently as he realized what Kaoru was saying he didn't know what to do now. Should he go back to the dojo or back to being a wanderer? So many question so few answers ran through his head, he didn't know what to do, where to go so he just stood still, stood there looking at Kaoru's disappearing figure. He then turned his head to the path that lead down towards Kyoto. Sighing he made up his mind, sure Kaoru's words made sense, sure she could never take place of Tomoe in his heart, sure he knew he was running away "whoa where did that one come from?" he asked himself before he made his decision nothing could stop him, not Kaoru's words, not Tomoe's words, nothing.

He chose his path not knowing whither it was the right or the wrong one, but he chose it ready to except the consequences when and if they came.