Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ This Is Forever ❯ Destined To End ( Chapter 11 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: laichi16 
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.21.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 652 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.21.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 652 | Status: Completed
This Is Forever
Chapter 18: “Destined To End”
“While those two are fighting, who else will face my other comrades?” Enishi asked, pushing his sunglasses up further.
“I’ll fight Gien.” Soujiro said, pointing his sword at the potbelly one.
Gien scratched his head, scratched his armpits, and then nodded.
“I’ll fight Otowa Hyoko.” Yahiko said, pointing his bokken at the feminine one.
“Guess I’m the only one left.” Saitou exclaimed, taking one last drag of his cigarette, threw it to the ground, and stopped it out. “I’ll fight the hidden freak.”
“WHO’RE YOU CALL’N A FREAK?!”
“Well,” Saitou said calmly. “You’re hidden, you obviously don’t want anyone to see you, and so you must be a freak.”
“NO ONE CALLS ME A FREAK!!!”
“Shut up, Yatsume.” Enishi commanded, and then turned to Kaoru. “I guess you’re the only one left. Choose.”
“She’s not fighting.” Kenshin informed before Kaoru could answer a challenge.
“What’re you saying?” Kaoru demanded with her hands fisted. “I can fight the same as you!”
“What did I tell you?” Kenshin said, so no one could hear, save for the rest of the group. “You’re going to go open up the gates of hell, and drag all these demons down there. Got it?”
“Demo...”
“Battousai is right.” Soujiro agreed while leading Kaoru away from the group as they all prepared themselves to fight. “The only way to end this is to drag all the demons back to hell.”
“Demo...” Kaoru tried to explain, her eyes focused on Kenshin, but his back was to her. “I-I’m not ready...”
Soujiro looked perplexed, and he looked at the gathering clouds in the heavens.
“Tengoku-sama is coming,” Soujiro said, the sky rapidly darkening. “You always seemed ready. What changed now?”
Kaoru kept staring at Kenshin’s back, his long, flaming-red hair always tied back in a high ponytail. She was the only one that had seen him with his hair down.
“Demo...” Kaoru choked out in a whisper. If I open up hell, then Kenshin will be sucked down there with the rest of the demons.
“What’s happening?”
Kaoru and Soujiro turned around to see Misao and Aoshi. The priestess looked fairly alright, but Aoshi looked quite beat up.
“Misao-chan!” Kaoru exclaimed happily. “You’re alright!”
“Hai!” Misao agreed with her thumb up.
“Kaoru-sama needs to go where the gates of hell are hidden and open them up so we can be done with this whole mess.” Soujiro explained.
“Where’re the gates of hell hidden?” Misao asked.
“Somewhere in Kyoto Park,” Soujiro said. “Only Kaoru-sama would know where it is.”
“Okay, let’s go, then.” Misao said, already excited.
“No, Misao.” Aoshi reminded. “No fighting.”
“Who’s fighting?” Misao asked, looking from one person to the next, even though there was already a battle going on in front of them. “I’m only going with Kaoru-sama. I’m not fighting.”
Aoshi hesitated, but not seeing any real danger in that situation, and away from the battle going on where they were, he finally nodded in agreement.
“Alright, come on, Kaoru-sama!”
Kaoru reached her hand out to Misao, and explained, “Take hold of my hand.”
Misao looked curious, but she took the goddess’ hand anyway. Once she did, Misao felt something like a jolt throughout her body, and the area around them faded, only to be brought back in another area. The priestess recognized it immediately as Kyoto Park.
“Wow that was some fast transportation!” Misao said with a grin and her face. “Hontou sugoi!”
Kaoru tried to smile and looked over at the area of the park where the grass never grew. That was where evil resided, and that was where the entrance to hell was.
“So, where is it?” Misao asked, looking around.
“I-I know it’s somewhere around here, I just have to remember. Hold on; give me a minute.”
OOOOOO
Enishi did not miss Kaoru and that other brat leaving, so he turned to Akira, whom was hidden in the shadows, and commanded, “Follow them, and kill them.”
“Hai, my prince.” Akira said, and he left just as quickly as Kaoru and Misao.
“Enishi,” Kenshin said, pointing his sword at his former brother. “You and I have to settle our dispute.”
“Gladly.” Enishi said, and he unsheathed his Wato.
Kenshin, however, sheathed his katana, and bent into a Baoutjitsu move. Enishi stood there, and waited, but knew that with the baoutjitsu move his sort-of brother was in, he had to make the first move.
So, without hesitation, Enishi struck.
OOOOO
“Do you even know where it is?” Misao sighed, both hands behind her head.
“Hai,” Kaoru said, finally giving in. “It’s over there.”
Kaoru went to the spot where nothing grows and was about to prepare to open the gates, when Misao screamed, “WATCH OUT!!!”
Instinctively, Kaoru turned around; her Shinjitsu blade blocked what would have been a killing blow from Akira.
“Akira!” Kaoru yelled in anger. “What the hell are you doing?!”
“Doing what is required of me, princess.” Akira said in a nonchalant tone.
Kaoru jumped back, her sword at the ready, and the former god made his attack.
OOOOO
Enishi dodged Kenshin’s battoujitsu move with his Kofuku Zettosei when Enishi crotched down in a tiger-like position.
When Enishi thought Kenshin was vulnerable, he was about to perform his first portion of his attack, which was rising, and bringing up his tachi, slashing Kenshin’s chest, but Kenshin saw what the other demon was about to do. So, the former Prince swung his sheath around, using a double Battoujitsu.
The sheath struck Enishi’s ribs, and with such force that the sheath broke in two, shards of wood flying everywhere, and even into Enishi’s flesh.
Kenshin twirled around, switched his sword from his right hand to his left hand, and swung it into Enishi’s ribs. The move would have severed Enishi in half; however, Enishi blocked the katana with his Wato blade.
The katana still made quite an impressive wound on Enishi, albeit with the katana blade blocked from making the killing score.
Enishi hissed though clinched teeth and he twisted to move out of the way, which caused the katana blade to come out with a sickening “slurp” sound.
“Asshole.” Enishi cursed, holding his hand to the wound. “Why do you protect them; the humans?”
“Kaoru has a fondness for them,” Kenshin explained. “And I have a fondness for her.”
“Even though you betrayed her?”
“I do no such thing.”
“HA!” Enishi scoffed, pushing his sunglasses up with his bloody hand, and that left a blood mark on his nose. “Your naive, which caused you to betray her, although unknowingly.”
“What did you do, Enishi?!” Kenshin demanded, clenching his katana harder.
“Well, after you and I talked, I knew you would lead the rest of the idiotic humans here, which was my trap; I distracted them from protecting the goddess, while I knew you would tell her to open the gates of hell and send us all, including yourself, back down there. So noble of you, and yet that is going to get her killed. Thus, you betrayed her, but unwillingly.”
Kaoru! Kenshin thought in panic, and was about to leave to protect her, only to be blocked by Enishi pointing his Wato blade to Kenshin’s throat.
“Nuh uh.” Enishi said with a wicked smile. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Kuso! Kaoru, stay alive!
OOOOOOO
Sword blades were thrown, blocked, and swung again. Akira and Kaoru had no real sword techniques, but that did not make them any weaker than the other.
“Akira, why are you doing this?!” Kaoru demanded, and blocked another attack.
“You and I both know that I have no where else to go but to hell, and I’m not about to go there!” Akira yelled, and blocked the goddess’ attack.
“You should’ve thought about that before you betrayed us!”
“Betrayed who?!” Akira scoffed, throwing another attack at Kaoru. “What about you, Kaoru?! Huh?! You’re the one fucking Battousai every night! So who’s the betrayer?!”
Misao placed a hand to her mouth when she heard the former god’s words. Was the goddess, Kaoru, really in that deep of a relationship with Battousai, the demon? Her eyes widened with disbelief; no way could she!
Akira jumped to Kaoru’s side, elbowed her wrist, causing her to drop the Shinjitsu sword, grabbed her long, black hair that was in a ponytail, and yanked. That caused Kaoru’s head to be forced back, leaving her neck exposed.
Akira sweep-kicked Kaoru, and she landed heavily on her stomach, and the former god held Kaoru’s hair back again.
“Kaoru-sama!”
All three looked to see Soujiro running towards the scene, ready to defend Kaoru, and Akira placed the blade of his sword on her throat, causing the god to stop. The trio also saw the rest of the group, including Saitou, coming out of the clearing.
“What happened with the battle?” Misao asked Aoshi.
“The Battousai informed us to go to Kaoru-sama,” Aoshi explained, glaring at Akira. “So, Soujiro transported us all here.”
Akira smiled evilly.
“Speaking of Battousai,” Akira sarcastically cooed. “Tell them, Kaoru. Tell them all about the Demon Prince.”
“Kaoru-sama,” Soujiro started, still tense in case he saw an opening to attack the former god. “What is he talking about?”
“Tell them, Kaoru,” Akira repeated; pressing the blade harder on her throat, while unbeknown to him, Kaoru was searching the ground for her Shinjitsu. “Tell them.”
“I--” Kaoru started, but was suddenly stopped when Kenshin and Enishi appeared, still battling.
“Kaoru!” Kenshin yelled, blocking and throwing attacks. “What’re you waiting for?! Open up the gates of hell now!”
Kenshin stole a glance at the scene beside him, and cursed, “Damn it, Kaoru! You can fight better than that! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“Enishi,” Akira called to the demon. “This goddess here wants to tell everyone something.”
Enishi and Kenshin stopped battling, although their sword blades were crossed, still tense, and even when they turned their attention to Akira and Kaoru.
“Now that your whole audience is here,” Akira said, pressing his sword’s blade harder on her exposed neck. “Tell everyone here about you and Battousai.”
Kaoru closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and corrected, “Kenshin; his name is Kenshin.”
“Well, how personal.” Akira mocked, and then laughed.
“And... I love Kenshin.”
It was a very heavy silence over the crowd. No one murmured, no one moved; the wind rustled the trees, and the growing clouds grew darker.
“HA!” Akira laughed, and he lifted his head up to the heavens. “You hear that, Tengoku? Your own daughter fell in love with a demon!”
“Oh, shit!” Sano said, both his right and left hands bleeding. “A goddess and a demon?”
“It takes an open confession for everyone to find out?” Saitou asked, lighting a cigarette, and shaking his head. “Pathetic.”
An enormous clash of thunder was the only response from the heavens. Finally, Kaoru found the Shinjitsu she was looking for. She grasped it by the blade under the hilt, positioned it just right, and shoved the blade into Akira’s ribs, and out the other side of his body.
Blood splattered everywhere, even as Akira released Kaoru, and she round kicked him as she jumped to her feet. Reaching down, she grasped her sword’s hilt with her bloody hand, and yanked the blade out of the god.
After staring at Kaoru for a few seconds more, Kenshin shoved Enishi away from him.
“Kaoru!” Kenshin yelled as the battle between him and Enishi persisted. “Open the gates now!”
Kaoru hesitated, but reacted when she saw Kenshin wounded in the shoulder by Enishi.
“NOW!!!” Kenshin screamed.
Kaoru ran over to the spot a few feet away, where grass nor other foliage never grew, used her cut hand to let the Shinjitsu blade absorb her blood. She slammed it to the ground, and the red fluid flowed gracefully down the blade, and into the barren ground.
When all the red fluid was gone from the blade, the ground shook violently, cracked, and opened up where the blade was. A violent vortex was opened as Kaoru ran to Kenshin.
Enishi slammed his Wato blade deep into the ground, and held on tightly in a feeble attempt to keep himself from being sucked back down in the hell hole that was his home.
The black vortex started to suck all the demons on the earth back down to hell, yet the gods and humans were unaffected by the change, yet, they could still hear the violent, loud winds like a hurricane came over them, and their hair and clothes still whipped violently in the turbulent winds.
“Kenshin!” Kaoru cried when she got over to the demon, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
“Kaoru...” Kenshin whispered, responding to her hug with the same gesture. “Sayonara.”
Kenshin let go of Kaoru, and started to head towards the black obis, only to be stopped when Kaoru grabbed his arm.
“What’re you doing?!” Kaoru shouted over the screaming winds as demons flew passed them in large amounts, and at a rapid rate.
“You and I both know that the gates will not close unless I’m no longer on earth as well.” Kenshin replied in similar shouting just to be heard over the earsplitting noise.
Kenshin made Kaoru release him, and once again he started to walk towards the black void; the entrance to hell.
“Wait! Kenshin!” Kaoru cried out, dodging flying demons as she ran over to the redheaded demon. “There’s something I have to tell you! There’s something you have to know!”
Kenshin stopped, turned around, and waited for Kaoru to say her peace. All the demons were still being sucked down into the black void, and Kaoru also saw Akira being sucked into hell.
“I’m--” Kaoru started, but was cut off when she saw Enishi, also being sucked down, gab Kenshin, held him tight, and brought him down to hell with him.
Before they went through the black void, however, Kaoru shouted, “I’m pregnant!”
Kaoru did not know whether Kenshin heard her or not, for his expression never changed. He was still wide-eyed after Enishi grabbed him, and his hand was still out, towards Kaoru like he wanted to grab her hand and stay with her.
Finally, the gates to hell closed with a snap, and the barren ground was no longer cracked and open, although, the Shinjitsu still stayed in the ground, the blade completely clean. Kaoru stood where the ground was closed, staring at it in defeat, hanging her head down low.
“Kaoru?” a familiar voice inquired hesitantly.
“Mama.” Kaoru responded, half shocked to see her mother on earth, but even more shocked to see her father and the rest of the heavenly hosts there. “What’re you all doing here?”
“We came to help,” Toichi said, looking around. “But it seems as if we came too late.”
“That’s okay,” Tengoku informed his wife. “As long as we’re here, I can ask Kaoru the questions I have. First, what have you learned while you were here?”
Suppressing her hurt and despair over losing Kenshin, Kaoru responded, “I don’t know where to begin, for I have learned quite a bit.”
“Have you found out what your weakness is?” Tengoku inquired differently, albeit patiently.
“Yes,” Kaoru answered with a wry smile. “I have too much fondness for the humans. I may be able to save them from their present situation, but they all eventually die anyway.”
Tengoku smiled proudly before he said, “You have passed the test I sent you here to find out. How did you come to this conclusion?”
“Kenshin told me the answer himself.”
“Kenshin?” Tengoku supposed with a confused expression, for he had never heard the name before.
“Battousai.” Kaoru said, telling her father the name she knew he would have known.
“Battousai...?” Tengoku repeated in disbelief, his eyes widening, and his mouth agape before he awoke himself out of his trance. “You’ve had dealings with a demon?”
“Yes,” Kaoru responded, unashamed. “In fact, that’s something else I’ve learned; gods can be evil, and demons can be good.”
Tengoku shook his head, not believing that his own daughter would converse with a demon, and a demon who hates her, no less.
“He helped me with the whole Enishi chaos and other things as well.” Kaoru continued, but her father held a hand up to stop her from speaking.
“You’re just like your mother.” Tengoku whispered with his teeth clenched.
“No, I’m not like my mother, because I would never deny the one I love.” Kaoru said, looking at her mother the whole time she spoke.
“Love...?” Tengoku hissed, his fisted hands shaking from rage. “LOVE?!”
“Hai, I love Kenshin.”
Tengoku looked completely enraged, and Toichi looked bewildered.
“You’re not my daughter anymore!” Tengoku yelled with his face red from rage, and his body shaking from the urge to smite his own daughter on the spot. He took a deep breath, pointed a finger at Kaoru, and shouted, “You are no longer allowed back into my kingdom! Banished for the rest of your immortal life you are! Do you understand?!”
“No, Tengoku, no; not my daughter!” Toichi pleaded, but Tengoku shook her off.
“Hai, wakatta.” Kaoru calmly agreed to her sentence. After all, a life in heaven without Kenshin was not heaven at all.
“You’re not longer in charge of guarding the gates of hell.” Tengoku continued, waving his hand, and the Shinjitsu sword came to him. “From now on, Tomoe is in charge of that!”
Tengoku handed Tomoe the Shinjitsu, which she accepted with an expressionless face, still fixed on Kaoru. The now exiled goddess smiled slightly at Tomoe and nodded to her. Tomoe did not respond, which confused Kaoru; was her friend also going to treat her as an outcast?
Tengoku nodded in approval when Tomoe took the Shinjitsu in her hands, and then he turned to his daughter.
“I never want to see you anymore.” Tengoku said icily. “You shall stay on earth forever.”
After he said his peace, Tengoku motioned for all of the gods and goddesses to return to their homes in heaven. Soujiro looked at Kaoru like he did not want to follow the head god’s new rules, but then he turned away and also followed suit with the rest in heaven.
“Kaoru-sama?” Misao inquired timidly as the exiled goddess watched the empty heavens. “Are you alright?”
“Hai,” Kaoru replied, turning to her friend with a sad smile. “I’ll be alright.”
“You can stay with us, Kaoru-sama.” Misao informed. “Would it be fine with you?”
“If I’m not too much of a bother.”
“You? A bother?” Misao gapped. “You’re our best friend! You can never be a bother!”
“Well, it will be for the rest of your lives,” Kaoru laughed. “It will be lonely, but I’ll have some company.”
Kaoru placed a gentle hand to her lower abdomen, glanced sadly at the barren spot where Kenshin was dragged down to hell through, turned, and walked away with Misao and the rest of the group. All awaiting whatever would happen next in the future.
The End
OOOO
AN: Yea... Now you readers all know why a friend of mine got angry that I would dare leave the story as that, with no Battousai/Kaoru get together ending. What a long three years it took to write this story! I hope it won’t take that long for the next one! I’ll be taking a small break from story writing (don’t worry, it won’t take years) and then I’ll get started on the sequel, and at the same time, an Inuyasha fan fiction for those who are Inuyasha fans.
I just want to spend a little more time with my family before I get started on those stories. Everyone reading can understand, right? I hope so. Well, I’ll see talk to everyone later!
Thank you so much for reading and supporting me all the way through to the end of This Is Forever!
Chapter 18: “Destined To End”
“While those two are fighting, who else will face my other comrades?” Enishi asked, pushing his sunglasses up further.
“I’ll fight Gien.” Soujiro said, pointing his sword at the potbelly one.
Gien scratched his head, scratched his armpits, and then nodded.
“I’ll fight Otowa Hyoko.” Yahiko said, pointing his bokken at the feminine one.
“Guess I’m the only one left.” Saitou exclaimed, taking one last drag of his cigarette, threw it to the ground, and stopped it out. “I’ll fight the hidden freak.”
“WHO’RE YOU CALL’N A FREAK?!”
“Well,” Saitou said calmly. “You’re hidden, you obviously don’t want anyone to see you, and so you must be a freak.”
“NO ONE CALLS ME A FREAK!!!”
“Shut up, Yatsume.” Enishi commanded, and then turned to Kaoru. “I guess you’re the only one left. Choose.”
“She’s not fighting.” Kenshin informed before Kaoru could answer a challenge.
“What’re you saying?” Kaoru demanded with her hands fisted. “I can fight the same as you!”
“What did I tell you?” Kenshin said, so no one could hear, save for the rest of the group. “You’re going to go open up the gates of hell, and drag all these demons down there. Got it?”
“Demo...”
“Battousai is right.” Soujiro agreed while leading Kaoru away from the group as they all prepared themselves to fight. “The only way to end this is to drag all the demons back to hell.”
“Demo...” Kaoru tried to explain, her eyes focused on Kenshin, but his back was to her. “I-I’m not ready...”
Soujiro looked perplexed, and he looked at the gathering clouds in the heavens.
“Tengoku-sama is coming,” Soujiro said, the sky rapidly darkening. “You always seemed ready. What changed now?”
Kaoru kept staring at Kenshin’s back, his long, flaming-red hair always tied back in a high ponytail. She was the only one that had seen him with his hair down.
“Demo...” Kaoru choked out in a whisper. If I open up hell, then Kenshin will be sucked down there with the rest of the demons.
“What’s happening?”
Kaoru and Soujiro turned around to see Misao and Aoshi. The priestess looked fairly alright, but Aoshi looked quite beat up.
“Misao-chan!” Kaoru exclaimed happily. “You’re alright!”
“Hai!” Misao agreed with her thumb up.
“Kaoru-sama needs to go where the gates of hell are hidden and open them up so we can be done with this whole mess.” Soujiro explained.
“Where’re the gates of hell hidden?” Misao asked.
“Somewhere in Kyoto Park,” Soujiro said. “Only Kaoru-sama would know where it is.”
“Okay, let’s go, then.” Misao said, already excited.
“No, Misao.” Aoshi reminded. “No fighting.”
“Who’s fighting?” Misao asked, looking from one person to the next, even though there was already a battle going on in front of them. “I’m only going with Kaoru-sama. I’m not fighting.”
Aoshi hesitated, but not seeing any real danger in that situation, and away from the battle going on where they were, he finally nodded in agreement.
“Alright, come on, Kaoru-sama!”
Kaoru reached her hand out to Misao, and explained, “Take hold of my hand.”
Misao looked curious, but she took the goddess’ hand anyway. Once she did, Misao felt something like a jolt throughout her body, and the area around them faded, only to be brought back in another area. The priestess recognized it immediately as Kyoto Park.
“Wow that was some fast transportation!” Misao said with a grin and her face. “Hontou sugoi!”
Kaoru tried to smile and looked over at the area of the park where the grass never grew. That was where evil resided, and that was where the entrance to hell was.
“So, where is it?” Misao asked, looking around.
“I-I know it’s somewhere around here, I just have to remember. Hold on; give me a minute.”
OOOOOO
Enishi did not miss Kaoru and that other brat leaving, so he turned to Akira, whom was hidden in the shadows, and commanded, “Follow them, and kill them.”
“Hai, my prince.” Akira said, and he left just as quickly as Kaoru and Misao.
“Enishi,” Kenshin said, pointing his sword at his former brother. “You and I have to settle our dispute.”
“Gladly.” Enishi said, and he unsheathed his Wato.
Kenshin, however, sheathed his katana, and bent into a Baoutjitsu move. Enishi stood there, and waited, but knew that with the baoutjitsu move his sort-of brother was in, he had to make the first move.
So, without hesitation, Enishi struck.
OOOOO
“Do you even know where it is?” Misao sighed, both hands behind her head.
“Hai,” Kaoru said, finally giving in. “It’s over there.”
Kaoru went to the spot where nothing grows and was about to prepare to open the gates, when Misao screamed, “WATCH OUT!!!”
Instinctively, Kaoru turned around; her Shinjitsu blade blocked what would have been a killing blow from Akira.
“Akira!” Kaoru yelled in anger. “What the hell are you doing?!”
“Doing what is required of me, princess.” Akira said in a nonchalant tone.
Kaoru jumped back, her sword at the ready, and the former god made his attack.
OOOOO
Enishi dodged Kenshin’s battoujitsu move with his Kofuku Zettosei when Enishi crotched down in a tiger-like position.
When Enishi thought Kenshin was vulnerable, he was about to perform his first portion of his attack, which was rising, and bringing up his tachi, slashing Kenshin’s chest, but Kenshin saw what the other demon was about to do. So, the former Prince swung his sheath around, using a double Battoujitsu.
The sheath struck Enishi’s ribs, and with such force that the sheath broke in two, shards of wood flying everywhere, and even into Enishi’s flesh.
Kenshin twirled around, switched his sword from his right hand to his left hand, and swung it into Enishi’s ribs. The move would have severed Enishi in half; however, Enishi blocked the katana with his Wato blade.
The katana still made quite an impressive wound on Enishi, albeit with the katana blade blocked from making the killing score.
Enishi hissed though clinched teeth and he twisted to move out of the way, which caused the katana blade to come out with a sickening “slurp” sound.
“Asshole.” Enishi cursed, holding his hand to the wound. “Why do you protect them; the humans?”
“Kaoru has a fondness for them,” Kenshin explained. “And I have a fondness for her.”
“Even though you betrayed her?”
“I do no such thing.”
“HA!” Enishi scoffed, pushing his sunglasses up with his bloody hand, and that left a blood mark on his nose. “Your naive, which caused you to betray her, although unknowingly.”
“What did you do, Enishi?!” Kenshin demanded, clenching his katana harder.
“Well, after you and I talked, I knew you would lead the rest of the idiotic humans here, which was my trap; I distracted them from protecting the goddess, while I knew you would tell her to open the gates of hell and send us all, including yourself, back down there. So noble of you, and yet that is going to get her killed. Thus, you betrayed her, but unwillingly.”
Kaoru! Kenshin thought in panic, and was about to leave to protect her, only to be blocked by Enishi pointing his Wato blade to Kenshin’s throat.
“Nuh uh.” Enishi said with a wicked smile. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Kuso! Kaoru, stay alive!
OOOOOOO
Sword blades were thrown, blocked, and swung again. Akira and Kaoru had no real sword techniques, but that did not make them any weaker than the other.
“Akira, why are you doing this?!” Kaoru demanded, and blocked another attack.
“You and I both know that I have no where else to go but to hell, and I’m not about to go there!” Akira yelled, and blocked the goddess’ attack.
“You should’ve thought about that before you betrayed us!”
“Betrayed who?!” Akira scoffed, throwing another attack at Kaoru. “What about you, Kaoru?! Huh?! You’re the one fucking Battousai every night! So who’s the betrayer?!”
Misao placed a hand to her mouth when she heard the former god’s words. Was the goddess, Kaoru, really in that deep of a relationship with Battousai, the demon? Her eyes widened with disbelief; no way could she!
Akira jumped to Kaoru’s side, elbowed her wrist, causing her to drop the Shinjitsu sword, grabbed her long, black hair that was in a ponytail, and yanked. That caused Kaoru’s head to be forced back, leaving her neck exposed.
Akira sweep-kicked Kaoru, and she landed heavily on her stomach, and the former god held Kaoru’s hair back again.
“Kaoru-sama!”
All three looked to see Soujiro running towards the scene, ready to defend Kaoru, and Akira placed the blade of his sword on her throat, causing the god to stop. The trio also saw the rest of the group, including Saitou, coming out of the clearing.
“What happened with the battle?” Misao asked Aoshi.
“The Battousai informed us to go to Kaoru-sama,” Aoshi explained, glaring at Akira. “So, Soujiro transported us all here.”
Akira smiled evilly.
“Speaking of Battousai,” Akira sarcastically cooed. “Tell them, Kaoru. Tell them all about the Demon Prince.”
“Kaoru-sama,” Soujiro started, still tense in case he saw an opening to attack the former god. “What is he talking about?”
“Tell them, Kaoru,” Akira repeated; pressing the blade harder on her throat, while unbeknown to him, Kaoru was searching the ground for her Shinjitsu. “Tell them.”
“I--” Kaoru started, but was suddenly stopped when Kenshin and Enishi appeared, still battling.
“Kaoru!” Kenshin yelled, blocking and throwing attacks. “What’re you waiting for?! Open up the gates of hell now!”
Kenshin stole a glance at the scene beside him, and cursed, “Damn it, Kaoru! You can fight better than that! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“Enishi,” Akira called to the demon. “This goddess here wants to tell everyone something.”
Enishi and Kenshin stopped battling, although their sword blades were crossed, still tense, and even when they turned their attention to Akira and Kaoru.
“Now that your whole audience is here,” Akira said, pressing his sword’s blade harder on her exposed neck. “Tell everyone here about you and Battousai.”
Kaoru closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and corrected, “Kenshin; his name is Kenshin.”
“Well, how personal.” Akira mocked, and then laughed.
“And... I love Kenshin.”
It was a very heavy silence over the crowd. No one murmured, no one moved; the wind rustled the trees, and the growing clouds grew darker.
“HA!” Akira laughed, and he lifted his head up to the heavens. “You hear that, Tengoku? Your own daughter fell in love with a demon!”
“Oh, shit!” Sano said, both his right and left hands bleeding. “A goddess and a demon?”
“It takes an open confession for everyone to find out?” Saitou asked, lighting a cigarette, and shaking his head. “Pathetic.”
An enormous clash of thunder was the only response from the heavens. Finally, Kaoru found the Shinjitsu she was looking for. She grasped it by the blade under the hilt, positioned it just right, and shoved the blade into Akira’s ribs, and out the other side of his body.
Blood splattered everywhere, even as Akira released Kaoru, and she round kicked him as she jumped to her feet. Reaching down, she grasped her sword’s hilt with her bloody hand, and yanked the blade out of the god.
After staring at Kaoru for a few seconds more, Kenshin shoved Enishi away from him.
“Kaoru!” Kenshin yelled as the battle between him and Enishi persisted. “Open the gates now!”
Kaoru hesitated, but reacted when she saw Kenshin wounded in the shoulder by Enishi.
“NOW!!!” Kenshin screamed.
Kaoru ran over to the spot a few feet away, where grass nor other foliage never grew, used her cut hand to let the Shinjitsu blade absorb her blood. She slammed it to the ground, and the red fluid flowed gracefully down the blade, and into the barren ground.
When all the red fluid was gone from the blade, the ground shook violently, cracked, and opened up where the blade was. A violent vortex was opened as Kaoru ran to Kenshin.
Enishi slammed his Wato blade deep into the ground, and held on tightly in a feeble attempt to keep himself from being sucked back down in the hell hole that was his home.
The black vortex started to suck all the demons on the earth back down to hell, yet the gods and humans were unaffected by the change, yet, they could still hear the violent, loud winds like a hurricane came over them, and their hair and clothes still whipped violently in the turbulent winds.
“Kenshin!” Kaoru cried when she got over to the demon, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
“Kaoru...” Kenshin whispered, responding to her hug with the same gesture. “Sayonara.”
Kenshin let go of Kaoru, and started to head towards the black obis, only to be stopped when Kaoru grabbed his arm.
“What’re you doing?!” Kaoru shouted over the screaming winds as demons flew passed them in large amounts, and at a rapid rate.
“You and I both know that the gates will not close unless I’m no longer on earth as well.” Kenshin replied in similar shouting just to be heard over the earsplitting noise.
Kenshin made Kaoru release him, and once again he started to walk towards the black void; the entrance to hell.
“Wait! Kenshin!” Kaoru cried out, dodging flying demons as she ran over to the redheaded demon. “There’s something I have to tell you! There’s something you have to know!”
Kenshin stopped, turned around, and waited for Kaoru to say her peace. All the demons were still being sucked down into the black void, and Kaoru also saw Akira being sucked into hell.
“I’m--” Kaoru started, but was cut off when she saw Enishi, also being sucked down, gab Kenshin, held him tight, and brought him down to hell with him.
Before they went through the black void, however, Kaoru shouted, “I’m pregnant!”
Kaoru did not know whether Kenshin heard her or not, for his expression never changed. He was still wide-eyed after Enishi grabbed him, and his hand was still out, towards Kaoru like he wanted to grab her hand and stay with her.
Finally, the gates to hell closed with a snap, and the barren ground was no longer cracked and open, although, the Shinjitsu still stayed in the ground, the blade completely clean. Kaoru stood where the ground was closed, staring at it in defeat, hanging her head down low.
“Kaoru?” a familiar voice inquired hesitantly.
“Mama.” Kaoru responded, half shocked to see her mother on earth, but even more shocked to see her father and the rest of the heavenly hosts there. “What’re you all doing here?”
“We came to help,” Toichi said, looking around. “But it seems as if we came too late.”
“That’s okay,” Tengoku informed his wife. “As long as we’re here, I can ask Kaoru the questions I have. First, what have you learned while you were here?”
Suppressing her hurt and despair over losing Kenshin, Kaoru responded, “I don’t know where to begin, for I have learned quite a bit.”
“Have you found out what your weakness is?” Tengoku inquired differently, albeit patiently.
“Yes,” Kaoru answered with a wry smile. “I have too much fondness for the humans. I may be able to save them from their present situation, but they all eventually die anyway.”
Tengoku smiled proudly before he said, “You have passed the test I sent you here to find out. How did you come to this conclusion?”
“Kenshin told me the answer himself.”
“Kenshin?” Tengoku supposed with a confused expression, for he had never heard the name before.
“Battousai.” Kaoru said, telling her father the name she knew he would have known.
“Battousai...?” Tengoku repeated in disbelief, his eyes widening, and his mouth agape before he awoke himself out of his trance. “You’ve had dealings with a demon?”
“Yes,” Kaoru responded, unashamed. “In fact, that’s something else I’ve learned; gods can be evil, and demons can be good.”
Tengoku shook his head, not believing that his own daughter would converse with a demon, and a demon who hates her, no less.
“He helped me with the whole Enishi chaos and other things as well.” Kaoru continued, but her father held a hand up to stop her from speaking.
“You’re just like your mother.” Tengoku whispered with his teeth clenched.
“No, I’m not like my mother, because I would never deny the one I love.” Kaoru said, looking at her mother the whole time she spoke.
“Love...?” Tengoku hissed, his fisted hands shaking from rage. “LOVE?!”
“Hai, I love Kenshin.”
Tengoku looked completely enraged, and Toichi looked bewildered.
“You’re not my daughter anymore!” Tengoku yelled with his face red from rage, and his body shaking from the urge to smite his own daughter on the spot. He took a deep breath, pointed a finger at Kaoru, and shouted, “You are no longer allowed back into my kingdom! Banished for the rest of your immortal life you are! Do you understand?!”
“No, Tengoku, no; not my daughter!” Toichi pleaded, but Tengoku shook her off.
“Hai, wakatta.” Kaoru calmly agreed to her sentence. After all, a life in heaven without Kenshin was not heaven at all.
“You’re not longer in charge of guarding the gates of hell.” Tengoku continued, waving his hand, and the Shinjitsu sword came to him. “From now on, Tomoe is in charge of that!”
Tengoku handed Tomoe the Shinjitsu, which she accepted with an expressionless face, still fixed on Kaoru. The now exiled goddess smiled slightly at Tomoe and nodded to her. Tomoe did not respond, which confused Kaoru; was her friend also going to treat her as an outcast?
Tengoku nodded in approval when Tomoe took the Shinjitsu in her hands, and then he turned to his daughter.
“I never want to see you anymore.” Tengoku said icily. “You shall stay on earth forever.”
After he said his peace, Tengoku motioned for all of the gods and goddesses to return to their homes in heaven. Soujiro looked at Kaoru like he did not want to follow the head god’s new rules, but then he turned away and also followed suit with the rest in heaven.
“Kaoru-sama?” Misao inquired timidly as the exiled goddess watched the empty heavens. “Are you alright?”
“Hai,” Kaoru replied, turning to her friend with a sad smile. “I’ll be alright.”
“You can stay with us, Kaoru-sama.” Misao informed. “Would it be fine with you?”
“If I’m not too much of a bother.”
“You? A bother?” Misao gapped. “You’re our best friend! You can never be a bother!”
“Well, it will be for the rest of your lives,” Kaoru laughed. “It will be lonely, but I’ll have some company.”
Kaoru placed a gentle hand to her lower abdomen, glanced sadly at the barren spot where Kenshin was dragged down to hell through, turned, and walked away with Misao and the rest of the group. All awaiting whatever would happen next in the future.
The End
OOOO
AN: Yea... Now you readers all know why a friend of mine got angry that I would dare leave the story as that, with no Battousai/Kaoru get together ending. What a long three years it took to write this story! I hope it won’t take that long for the next one! I’ll be taking a small break from story writing (don’t worry, it won’t take years) and then I’ll get started on the sequel, and at the same time, an Inuyasha fan fiction for those who are Inuyasha fans.
I just want to spend a little more time with my family before I get started on those stories. Everyone reading can understand, right? I hope so. Well, I’ll see talk to everyone later!
Thank you so much for reading and supporting me all the way through to the end of This Is Forever!