Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ May The Sun Shine Forever ❯ Not Kari ( Chapter 9 )

Notes: Wow! Finally back with more chappies, yepyep. Please r/r like usual, ^_^ This story should end soon, yeayea! So happy, just a few more chapters more…maybe one more, or two. Oh, and just a little hint: Kari's much more then you could have thought…MUCH more…

Disclaimer: Last night I owned Kenshin. I owned Kenshin, and Kaoru, and Sano, Megumi, Soujiro, Yahiko, Tomoe, Ayame, Suzame, Saitoh…I owned them all!

But then I woke up.

R&R: PLEASE review! I have so few reviews for this, and it's my longest one, nearing completion too! *sniffsniff*

Soujiro: -_-

Writer: What's wrong?

Soujiro: Kari -kun…*weepweep*

Writer: *huff* Fine, be that way! See if you get any speaking lines this chapter!

Ahem, you know he will, I still luv him. ^^

On!

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.:*May The Sun Shine Forever*:.

By Elementsofmine/elementalspirit125

Chapter Nine

The red -haired swordsman glanced nervously at his silent partner, licking his lips. Soujiro's jaw was set, grim and tight, not taking anything in.

Kenshin sighed, and carefully eased a thorn branch away from his path. The mountain path was overgrown, not having been used since…

Since…

Since then.

Keeping his eyes on the path, Soujiro asked, "Are you sure this is the way?"

Kenshin sneaked a glance at his partner, but seeing no given eye contact, he replied dully, "Yes."

"It's quiet up here. The nearest town is what…five miles away?"

"She…Tomoe…valued her privacy."

Soujiro felt his gaze shift against his will to the rurouni. He blamed him, blamed his stupid past, for the disappearance of Kari.

"This…Tomoe. You…loved her?"

The rurouni's reply was as sharp and hard as his glare.

"She was my wife."

Up the hill, just half a mile away…

A house stood. It didn't just stand, it seemed to hunch slightly, from it's wobbling window shutters, to it's curved roof, dropping slightly in the front due to the massive piles of vines that had claimed it as it's home. Behind the house loomed an overgrown pine forest, standing guard over it's territory. A single stone well served as the boundary between home and wild. The well in back had seen better days, now with crumbling stone and a fragile stand. Any visitor could look down, if they used caution, into the deep, black, hole that had probably dried itself of all water. Who knew?

Huff….huff…

Soujiro? Kenshin? Where…?

Huff…huff…

It's so dark here…I'm all cold…

Huff..hu…

Where is everyone? I'm all alone…

Huf…hu..

I can…barely…breathe

Hu…hu…

Soujiro?

Hu…

I…

…

…

…

Soujiro paused.

"I felt her Himura. She's close by!"

With a dash, he immediately took chase, a wolf searching for his prey. Himura had to check himself to make sure he wouldn't lose breath while running. How could he not have known this would happen? The path was so familiar…

Every\ tree, every vine, every speck of dust that blew back into his face as he ran seemed so familiar. How could he have not known? The letter, the signs, the music box! Why had he bought it in the first place? It was probably the same one, definitely the same one! It had been custom-made, just for Tomoe and him, how could he have been stupid enough to buy it back after he had sold it five years ago? How was it possible?

It's not, it wasn't…this isn't…!

So busy thinking over all the events leading up to that one, inevitable conclusion, he didn't realize where he was until he saw Soujir, standing stock-still at the clearing.

"There's nothing here…"

Kenshin shot a glance at him. "You, you can't see it?" He was almost hysterical. "You can't see it, the house?"

Soujiro stared; shocked, trying to see what was there when it was not. "I, I can't," he replied bewilderedly. "If there's truly nothing there, how can I feel it?"

Kenshin could see it. Maybe it was just an illusion. The house looked so harmless, so peaceful and quiet, hiding under a thick blanket of vines, safe and sealed off from the rest of the world. But that was just fake, he knew that. It wasn't safe, nothing here was! Everything was wrong, nothing was right! Suddenly, he felt a hand grasp his. Looking over, he saw Soujiro, eyes closed, with his hand in Kenshin's.

"I can see it now," he whispered. "Is this all a dream?" He opened his eyes to stare at Kenshin. "Or is this real?"

Kenshin had no idea how long they stood there, their shadows elongating in the sun's glare. Something about the place was wrong, it's spell had already been cast.

A cry broke their thoughts. "Soujiro!"

Soujiro breathed heavily. "Kari!" Breaking the bond between them, Soujiro ran off into the house that was not there, leaving Kenshin to watch what would happen. He held his breath as Soujiro entered, only to let it out guiltily as he realized what he had been doing. Had he really thought the house would swallow him, taking Soujiro in as it had to Kari? After standing alone by himself for a while, he resolutely followed after Soujiro.

He found him there, bending down next to a crumpled figure. When he turned, he saw that Soujiro was smiling. "She's still alive, Himura."

"Let's go then," Kenshin sighed, half-smiling with relief. "Let's go."

Picking her up carefully, Soujiro carried her out the door. Kenshin kept his eyes straight ahead, not trusting himself to look anywhere else. When they reached the doorway, both of them paused. "Is that it?" Kenshin turned to look at Soujiro. "Is it really all over?"

Kenshin sighed. "I don't know. Truly, I don't know."

Kari stirred in Soujiro's arms. Her dark hair blew slightly in the wind. As they turned to leave again, Soujiro paused once more. "Mr. Himura, is it just me, or…is it unnaturally quiet?"

Kenshin froze. Something had been nagging him from the moment they had entered the clearing. Something was not right. Nothing here was right. Everything was wrong, deeply wrong. But now he knew what. There was no sound coming from the wind rustling the trees, there were no birds or and other animals, creating their noise. It was all silent.

Scared, aren't you now?

Soujiro trembled. "Kari? Kari, what are you talking about?"

The limp bundle in his arms shifted.

Who said I'm Kari?

Kenshin felt his arms go numb. His mouth had gone dry long ago. Soujiro seemed ready to faint.

"W…wh..who are you," Soujiro managed to croak out.

Your worst nightmare.

Soujiro's eyes turned up until the whites were showing, and collapsed. The bundle seemed to float for a second, until legs appeared and steadied itself on the ground.

You remember me, don't you…Ken -san?

The cloth surronding the bundle became loose, and parted.

You remember me…

Kenshin remembered. It was her!

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