Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Dead Never Stay Dead ❯ Moving On ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I dream of…TAKING OVER THE WORLD!!!!(Bruhahahaha) ^0^ Oh and while I'm doing that I'll find a way to own Rurouni Kenshin by subduing Watsuki-san with the use of my Robot Bunny Rabbits. Advertisement: Machines that can help take over anything from famous mangas to entire nations and if pushed far enough, the world! No good ruler can govern a country without some and they just look soooo adorable as they create chaos for a new world order.

Part Seven- Moving On

You've been long dead and already gone

Left us with enough time to finally move on

But you disappeared without so much as a farewell or goodbye

And I blamed you for leaving us all

But now all that I wonder is why

Why did you have to go

Do you even know

Why did you have to leave

Leaving your friends to suffer and grieve

But the pain is fading away

I futilely hope it will all be gone someday

And as days darken to nights

I realize that everything will soon be all right

"blah blah blah" dialogue

'blah blah blah' thoughts

~*~ end chap/end scene/POV change

Vocabulary

O'kashi- Japanese pastries/sweets

Tanuki- Raccoon (One of Kaoru's many nicknames)

Yahiko was abruptly wakened up from his deep slumber when he was rudely doused with a bucket of ice, cold water. As he choked out the liquid that had found its way into his open snoring mouth, he glared at the heinous assailant from beneath his water soaked hair. The shock of this rude awakening rendered him briefly speechless, but he rapidly soon recovered. "Geez buso, what the hell was that for? Are you trying to drown me in my sleep? Murdering an innocent kid like me is definitely frowned upon, and if you're so intent on murdering me suffocation would have been a lot less suspicious."

Kaoru smiled innocently down at him clutching an empty bucket that lay forgotten in her hand. "Oh, so now you consider yourself a kid. I'm just so glad that you finally accept the truth, Yahiko-chan. But really Yahiko, how else was I supposed to wake you up for your training because nothing else was working? So, I decided to use some nice, fresh water from the well to get you that much needed wakeup call. Am I ingenious or what? Anyways, now you don't have an excuse to not do your laundry today. I mean just look at it, it's just soaking wet." Kaoru looked down despairingly at drenched futon and covers.

Yahiko was starting to get annoyed at Kaoru's playful tone. "Oh, and I suppose that it's all my fault?" He asked sarcastically.

"Why of course it is. We wouldn't have to go through this everyday if you'll just learn how to wake yourself up." Kaoru's face turned serious, "Now I want you outside practicing your katas."

Yahiko just gaped at her in shocked disbelief. "Woman, are you crazy? First off, you wake me up soaking wet in freezing water that I will probably get a cold from and now you want me to do some stupid katas like some brain-dead student? You can't honestly expect me to act as if being covered in icy water is an okay thing for me. Well all I have to say is that if you think for one moment that I…"

"Yahiko, you're really pushing it," Kaoru interrupted sternly, "Now you will go outside and give me some mid-swing katas right now, and instead of the usual five hundred let's try seven hundred to teach you to show some respect to a certain pretty young looking sensei."

Yahiko opened his mouth to make a smart retort but change his mind after seeing the set look in Kaoru's eyes. Making Kaoru mad at this point would only bring more pain to him in the long run. He fought his way out from under his water laden covers and trudged out the door all the while not so subtly muttering insults about his 'raccoon sensei'.

"You know Yahiko," Kaoru called out after him. "I was going to treat us both out to the Akabeko for breakfast but now I just have this sudden urge to cook, so I think I'll make breakfast today. I bet that you just can't wait to eat some of my home cooking." The only indication that Yahiko heard her was an almost inaudible gulp and the slight stiffening of his back. Kaoru smiled spitefully to herself anticipating Yahiko's reaction. Her words had the desired effect. Yahiko's only response was some choice oaths sworn under his breath and the loud slamming of the front shoji door.

~*~*~*~*~

Yahiko trudged through town. His whole being felt drained and weary. After being through Kaoru's endless torments which she considered training, he was further subjected to some more torture by being forced to eat her food and that in itself is horrifying enough. Even soaking in some soothing, steaming water didn't relax his nerves any but maybe that was because he was too busy worrying if he gotten some food poisoning.

Kaoru sent him out on an errand hoping to keep him out of trouble for the time being. The dojo ran out of some medicinal supplies so Kaoru practically kicked him out so he can go and borrow some from Megumi and Dr. Gensai. And after playing the part of an errand boy, he gets to do his laundry and clean the whole dojo single handedly. Will the fun never cease? He probably could've gotten away with not doing his laundry if it wasn't for Kaoru. Just thinking about this morning's incident sets his blood a boil.

Who does she thinks she is, thinking that she could pull stunts like that and get away unharmed? Yahiko grinned evilly to himself. Well if she thinks that he won't do anything about it then she'll be sadly mistaken. If it's the last think he'll ever do, he'll make sure by his own hands that his dear buso will get her just deserve. "That'll teach her to pull stupid acts like that on me again," Yahiko said aloud to himself smirking, unmindful that some people might think it a little strange that he was talking to himself.

Unbeknownst to him, his features slowly softened at the thought of his beloved sensei. Deep down he knew he wouldn't ever want Kaoru to stop doing crazy stuff like that. It's just been too long since she's been acting normal like that.

Shortly after Kenshin's death, Yahiko went out of his way to cheer Kaoru up. The only way he knew how was to annoy the hell out of her and until recently, it was so hard to get a decent rise out of her.

When Kenshin died, he didn't know what to think. From landing back at Tokyo, handing over Shurra and her men to the officials, and to telling Megumi and the others that their dearly loved Rurouni was dead, Yahiko's whole body was in a complete and total shock.

Life at that moment seemed too unreal to him, like something you read in a book. All he wanted to do was to flip to the ending and see the part where everyone lives happily ever after. His mind didn't really register that Kenshin was gone from them forever until the day of the funeral when he looked at Kenshin's pallid, lifeless face. Thinking back to the funeral, he noticed how many people came- like friend's he didn't know Kenshin had and faces he never saw before. He just left when Megumi broke down crying as people started to shovel dirt over Kenshin's lowered coffin.

He felt so mad after that. He blamed Kenshin for all that has happened. Blamed the world for letting it happen and blamed himself for not being strong enough to not let it happen. He then tried to get stronger on his own, to prove that they didn't need Kenshin and that he'll be the one to protect everybody. He practiced long into the night, practically everyday. But in the end, it all caught up to him. One evening when he was training he just collapsed. All that he was doing was too much strain on him and it pushed his body passed its limits.

He woke up a day or so later, to see Kaoru taking care of him. When he was trying to get stronger, he never for one moment thought about Kaoru. Kaoru either who since Kenshin's death acted very subdued or as if nothing was wrong with her. She tried to comfort him after the funeral, but he just pushed her away. Whenever he snapped at her because he was feeling edgy or something she never lost her temper, on the contrary she just smiled and went off to do the work that he had neglected lately.

He never once thought about how she felt, and if he was feeling terrible then she must have felt worse because she and Kenshin were so close and she had known him longer than he had. At that moment when Kaoru was taking care of him, he promised that he'll make up for what he did and try to make Kaoru feel better. He no longer felt anger towards Kenshin; rather he felt sadness at losing him after having known him for what seemed a very short time.

Yahiko stopped in front of the town hospital that Dr. Gensai owned and where Megumi worked at. He didn't see anyone through the windows out front, so he went around back to see if anyone was there. He spotted Megumi hanging some clothes out to dry. "Hey Megumi," he called out to her trying to catch her attention.

She turned around and noticed him. "Oh hi Yahiko," she greeted him, "Long time, no see." She walked up to him and invited him inside for some tea and some of her homemade o'kashii. "So how have you been doing?" She asked him while watching him attempting to eat the o'hagi and drink the green tea at the same time.

"I'm doing fine and so is Kaoru."

"That's good to hear."

After talking with Megumi for a while, he noticed something was amiss. "Where are Dr. Gensai and his grandchildren, Megumi?" Yahiko asked. "I would've heard them before I seen them but from the looks of it," he glanced around the room that was spotless of children's toys and whatnot, "They haven't been here for awhile."

Megumi laughed good-naturedly. "A friend of Dr. Gensai invited them all up north to visit so they're going to be gone for about three weeks."

"They all deserve it. The vacation will do them some good."

Megumi smiled sadly, remembering the pain Dr. Gensai, Ayame, Suzume went through when they found out that Kenshin was gone. Even though Dr. Gensai didn't say anything, Megumi knew he was hurting. Loss of a loved one wasn't anything new for the doctor's granddaughters because both of their parents died years before, but Ayame was too young to remember. When Kenshin first died, Dr. Gensai often came to visit everyone at the dojo. Ayame when she went with him always asked Kaoru where Kenshin was and when he would be coming back. Kaoru just couldn't take the pain that came with these seamlessly harmless questions so she often tried to avoid answering her. After a week of this, Ayame stopped asking. Suzume on the other hand wouldn't even come to the dojo because she said it made her too sad. She couldn't stop crying after the funeral but gradually once the pain of his parting lessened she soon stopped but now her eyes always seemed a little sad. It's just so sad that even children are forced to face the harshness of the real world.

"Oh Megumi, I almost forgot why I came here," Yahiko voiced, interrupting her train of thought, "I came over her to ask you for something. You see…"

"Why Yahiko," Megumi interrupted him, "you're acting more like Sano everyday. Just make sure you don't ask me for some gambling money or anything." She did her trademark laugh and looked down at Yahiko haughtingly.

Yahiko sweat dropped and stared at her warily before she realized she compared him to a certain free loading rooster head. "Hey, don't you go comparing me to that tori-atama Megumi. Anyways a certain buso sent me here to borrow some medicine supplies from you. I mean it's not like I have a choice."

"Oh so the tanuki sent you then? Well I'll just go in the back and get you some supplies to give to Kaoru." She returned awhile later carrying a large bundle of medicine goods.

"Thanks Megumi." Yahiko said while trying to adjust the heavy load, "But do you really think that we'll need this much? I mean by the looks of this thing, it's about enough to open a small hospital."

"Knowing Tanuki like I do, she probably beats you to a pulp on a daily basis so this is really all for you. I put some O'hagi in there so you will at least get some decent food at the dojo."

Yahiko smiled gratefully at her as he said his goodbye and he walked out the door with the heavy pack securely strapped to his back. Yahiko didn't realize how heavy the bundle was until he started walking. He nearly staggered under the load and mentally groaned because the way back to the dojo was really long. Megumi in his opinion is nearly as bad as Kaoru but they were both woman and that fact in itself is scary enough.

~*~*~*~

"Kenshin, what are you doing?" Tomoe asked as she fluttered down next to him.

Kenshin looked at her trying not to let it show how much she surprised him. He couldn't feel her life energy since she's dead so he's been trying to notice her spirit energy but that's easier said then done. "I was checking up on my friends because it's nice to know how they're all doing. I'm just glad that they're all okay." He turned his attention back to what he was doing before she arrived and a doting smile soon adorned his face, after awhile though he noticed Tomoe's nervousness. He didn't feel so uncomfortable around lately but that's probably because she manages to have that affect on people. He looked at her a questionable look clearly forming in his eyes.

"Am I that readable?" She asked humorously. Kenshin just smiled at her knowingly. She sighed knowing she had to tell him what was agitating her eventually. "Kenshin," she started seriously, "It's time."

"Time?" he repeated bewildered, "Time for what?"

"It's time for the final decision, Kenshin," Tomoe elaborated. "For you to decide exactly what you will do. We have to go now and see Gabe." She stood up and held her hand out to Kenshin.

Kenshin looked up at Tomoe and sighed knowing it would come down to this but he wasn't sure if he was ready. He knew that if he accepted Tomoe's hand, then there will be no turning back for him. But the question remains does he really deserves this second chance after all that he had done? But he erased that doubt from his mind completely after thinking about the people he left behind and after thinking about Kaoru. He may not deserve this but Kaoru certainly does. She deserves to be happy and after observing her for a couple of weeks, he realized that she needs him as he needs her because it's the way it's meant to be. Yes he is doing this all for her so that she may discover the true joy of absolute love.

Kenshin placed his hand in Tomoe's smooth pale one. She smiled understandingly, knowing how much of a struggle that small gesture must have been. That small action sealed his fate and determined what path in life he would soon take. Kenshin smiled genuinely up at Tomoe. He now knew that whatever uncertainties will face him, he would not back down because this is all for Kaoru and he will give the world to her if only to see her happy and at peace and if that meant risking his soul to see her again, then so be it.

"I'm ready." He said simply

"I sure hope so for your sake and Kaoru's." Tomoe gripped his hand a little tighter and then lifted them both up into the sky to face the next step of what will begin the series of trials that Kenshin will soon face.

~*~*~*~

A/N

I am finally done, yippee! You all have no idea how long it took me to type this and on top of that, this chapter came out earlier than promised all thanks to me dtermination, dedication, and of course my wonderful viewers. Okay here is a clarification about something that I am constantly hearing. I did not take this from Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't even watch that show anymore. Granted, that was because Cartoon Network took it off but even so… I got this idea from watching RK and the Shurra episodes in that show. You people still don't believe me, well I never! Well for all you dubious non-believers, below is a reenactment:

(Ange Noir watching Rurouni Kenshin)

A N: Wow Kenshin was kidnapped by Shurra to save Kaoru. That is so heroic.

(Still watching RK)

A N: Wouldn't it be so tragic if Shurra killed Kenshin?

(Gets teary eyed thinking about Kenshin dying)

A N: It would be so neat if someone wrote a story about that.

(Giant glowing light bulb appears over Ange's head. A/N: I tend to do reenactments in form of anime. I just love them that much! ^.^)

A N: Hey I can write a story about that! It will be so awesome, too. I am just too brilliant for my own good! Oh golly, I had better start on it now but not before I finish watching Rurouni Kenshin.

(Finishes watching RK)

<end reenactment>

So I registered, put out some chapters, and VOILA; here I am. I guess it all kinda snowballed from there because right now, my story looks in no way similar to what it looked like when I first wrote it. See, I so did not do a crossover and I apologize if my story looks that way but if you want me to change it because 'you don't like it' then…WRITE YOUR OWN STORY AND DO YOUR WAY BECAUSE I'M WRITING MY OWN STORY AND DOING IT MY OWN WAY!!!!!!! Okay so the above sounds a little harsh but I'm really tired of people talking trash about my story, and if you're an author you know what I'm talking about. So please review people so the next chapter will come out sooner!

Recognitons

Hecate

Thanks Hecate for looking over my work and everything.