Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Findings of Earth ❯ A Bright Memory ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Well here goes another chapter; I really hope you'll like it. I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter but I started classes again and I needed a little time to get used to it.

Is anyone interested in receiving an update whenever a new chapter is posted? Gypsy-chan gave me the idea so if you want to please tell me your e-mail address in a review. Hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

Chapter V

A Bright Memory

It was dark but Kenshin knew the safe house like no one else. He knew what was in each floor, the holes in the roof, the spots where the wooden floor cracked, the secret places where the weapons were hidden and everything else that there was to know about the place. He took a hold of Kaoru's hand and gently led her through the passages of the building. She remained quiet as she carefully walked behind him. Her heart was beating fast but she wasn't scared, the touch of his hand told her that there was no need to be scared; he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Kenshin stood for a moment in the top of the stairs and looked back. He was leaving that place finally and he was taking with him only the clothes he was wearing. He had some books but he had already read them, he didn't have many clothes so he didn't think it was necessary to get them, he had only one more thing and he would really miss it. His sword, that sword that he used when he got out in a mission. Of course it wasn't really his; he wasn't allowed to keep it with him, it was kept in the weapon storage and he could only use it for mission or sometimes for training. When he was first given the sword Kenshin knew that he would never get any good if he didn't practice and the gang didn't let him practice a lot. Whenever it was possible he sneaked into the weapon storage room, picked the lock and got it out to practice. He loved to practice his sword skills and he had a natural talent for it. He taught himself almost everything and even invented some moves. His sword was his friend for the long time he stayed at the safe house and now he was finally leaving it but didn't want to leave it behind.

"Why did you stop?" Asked Kaoru bringing Kenshin back to reality.

"My sword…" He said and then lowered his eyes.

"Why don't you go and get it?"

"I can't, the storage room is upstairs and if I go up at least two men standing guard would see me and they'll make some noise and then they'll know we are leaving"

"You'll get another one some day… a better one" She said smiling. Kenshin smiled back, she was right, he was leaving that place and after that everything was possible.

They started walking again and finally they reached the back door and Kenshin just stood there looking at it for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Asked Kaoru in a soft whisper.

Kenshin didn't answer but he looked her with confident eyes and she knew there was nothing to worry about. He slowly let go of her hand and got closer to her so she could hear him.

"Wait here, I'll be right back"

Kaoru just nodded and stay where she was. She looked at Kenshin walking through the dark and then she heard the back door opened. Then an almost imperceptible sound reached her ears, she stood quiet waiting to hear something else, she hesitantly took a step and then her hand was grabbed by some one. She was about to scream but a hand was placed in her mouth before she could let out a sound. She started shivering but then the person holding her slowly made her look up. She put a smile on her face and the hand was taken from her mouth when she saw the violet eyes looking at her.

"Come on" He said and then he held her hand and led her to the exit.

The door was open and she could see the stars shinning on a beautiful cloudless night. She was so amazed by the sight greeting her that she missed to see something in the floor blocking her way out and she tripped. She felt his strong arms caching her before she could fall.

"Are you hurt?"

She gave him a soft smile as an answer and he helped her get up. She looked down to see that she had tripped with a body that was laying on the floor. She looked at it for a moment and then she felt Kenshin's hand in her shoulder.

"He is not dead, I don't do that anymore"

She just nodded and took his hand again.

"I know"

They walked out of the safe house and into the dark streets of the city. They kept walking without really knowing where to go, but one thing was for sure, they needed to get as far away as possible from the safe house as they could.

"Where are we going?" Asked Kaoru as she hugged herself trying to get warm.

"I don't know" Answer Kenshin truthfully. "I only left the safe house to go to missions; I don't know where to go"

"If you want" Said Kaoru "We can go to my house"

"I'm afraid that isn't possible, when they realize you are gone that is going to be the first place they'll look"

Kaoru lowered her eyes, Kenshin was right; she could never go back to her house, not after everything that had happened.

They kept walking slowly putting as much distance as possible between them and the safe house. Kenshin didn't know where to go, he was just walking through the streets without knowing where he was headed. He wasn't afraid, he knew that whatever happened he could take care of himself. He was finally away from the gang and now he felt free. He didn't care about the hardships he'll have to face, he knew that he had no money, no food, no place to sleep, nothing. He was ready to endure it but he was with Kaoru and he wouldn't let her go through that too. She was just a girl taken from her home. She had told Kenshin about her father's murder and how she ended in the cell in front of his. She surely had some friends that would take care of her, she couldn't stay with him, he needed to go.

Kaoru was shivering, the night was cold and she was only wearing the light sweater she had on the day she was kidnapped. Kenshin stopped walking when he noticed and only looked at her for a few moments. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, a black shirt and a black jacket. He slowly took the jacket off and put it on her. She was about to give it back to him but he stopped her with a sudden hand movement of his hand.

"In the next block I saw a police station" He said never taking his eyes away from her blue ones "Go inside and ask to see an inspector and when you do tell him what happen, tell him you were kidnapped and they'll take care of you."

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Kaoru "What you mean is that they'll take care of us"

"I'm sorry Kaoru but I can't go with you. I'm a criminal, if I go into that police station I'll be arrested. I have to leave"

"No you won't, you saved me, I'll tell them that…"

"I'm sorry" He said as he put his arms around her "Sayonara"

Kaoru felt a tear roll down her cheek as she returned the embrace. She felt her heart being broken. She didn't know why. She was holding a person she had known for so little time but the simple thought of letting him go was so painful. She looked at the black sky in front of her and suddenly something caught her eye. There in the middle of the city a sparkle flew near them and she saw it was a single firefly. It flew right to them, it was so close and Kaoru was looking at it without being able to take her eyes off it. Suddenly another sparkle appeared in the horizon and then another and another. Soon they were surrounded by fireflies. The tall buildings of Tokyo disappeared and a road bordered by sakura trees took its place. Kenshin was still holding her but she was no longer wearing her own clothes and his jacket, she was wearing a beautiful kimono instead. She looked at Kenshin with confused eyes and she realized he wasn't wearing his black clothes either, he had a magenta gi on and white hakama. Kaoru noticed that he also had a sword by his side and then she heard his voice.

"Sesha wa rurouni… Sayonara" Her heart was broken again. He was leaving.

With that said Kenshin left and she fell to the floor crying feeling totally worthless, she couldn't stop him there was nothing she could do. Kaoru's vision became blurry, she dried her tears and when she was able to see clearly again everything was back to normal. She blinked in confusion wondering what was what she saw, it felt so real, she was convinced for a moment but it was impossible, it couldn't be. She thought that maybe it was a dream an illusion that appeared in her exhausted mind, but then that very first butterfly she had seen flew in front of her eyes one more time before going away and disappearing into the night.

Kaoru felt Kenshin's arms around her. No it wasn't a dream, she was certain, the deep feeling in her heart told her that. It was a memory, something that had happened a long time ago and that she had forgotten. She didn't know much, but she knew that she let him leave her once, she knew how much that hurt and she sure wasn't going to let that happen again.

She slowly pulled away from his embrace and looked at him in those captivating eyes.

"There is no way I'm letting you leave me"

Kenshin took a deep breath. He didn't want to leave either, but he knew it was the best thing to do. He had nothing to give her, he had no money, no food, no place to go and in no time the gang would be hunting him down. No he couldn't do that to her, he had to protect her, that was the most important thing. He didn't know why but his heart ached just by thinking of leaving her but something inside him told him that it was the right thing to do, he needed to leave.

"Kaoru, I'm sorry but this is for the best…"

"No Kenshin it isn't" She said putting two fingers in his lips "Not this time."

* * *

A/N: I know it's short but I just wanted to leave it there, I hope you'll understand. Next one would be longer…

Individual thanks:

star-chan: I'm glad you liked it! It makes me so happy. Thanks for always reviewing so soon and for being so nice to me. I hope you liked this chapter too and I hope to hear from you again soon. *hugs back*

kriska: Well they got out but there is a lot ahead of them. Hope you liked it and thanx for your review.

Red Ninja: I'm glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing, I hope to hear from you again soon.

Yume Kuroi: I'm weird some times too, don't worry… I'm glad you liked it and you are right he always has to protect her. Thanks for your nice review!

Jason M. Lee: I'm glad you liked Battousai, I like him too. Poor Kenshin, he'll get a chance to recover soon. I'm sorry I didn't use the pipe idea… maybe next time. *wink*

Ann-dono: I'm so glad you liked it!!! Sorry it took me so long to update *Misanagi hides behind the compute screen* but I hope you liked the chapter at least. Thanks for your nice review, you are so nice to me! Hope to hear from you again soon.

C-Chan & Eko: I'm glad the last chapter made you happy (it made me happy too). I'm sorry Eko but no violence in this one… maybe latter… Anyway thanks for reviewing!!!!

moonblossom: I'm glad you liked the chapter. About the question… Kenshin's past would be revealed later in the story but you'll find all of your questions answered, I promise.

Skipper: I also needed a cold shower when I finished writing that chapter, Battousai is just so sexy!!! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter too.

omochi: Yes, Kenshin did kill before but he doesn't do that anymore. Yes that kind of goes into his record but I'll give you a hint: Read the epilogue of Heavenly Lost or the Prologue of this story and read carefully what the light tells him. Everything there is so crucial to this story….

Chiki: I LOVE Kenshin as Battousai too!!! You were talking about memories in your review so I hope you liked the first memory Kaoru got and was able to remember. I hope you can forgive me for the delay in the chapter and thank you for your wonderful review!

The *Spangled* Pandemonium: I love Kenshin's amber eyes too and I love they way he always has to protect Kaoru… *sigth* Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad that your keyboard still works!

Kaoru Himura!: Gracias por tu review! Mira lo irónico, cuando no tienes tiempo el capítulo es largo y cuando me dices que entre más largo mejor, es corto. En todo caso espero que te halla gustado y saber de ti pronto.

Joey: I know they are perfect for each other!!!! About your question: Read the epilogue of Heavenly Lost or the Prologue of this story and read carefully what the light tells Kenshin. Everything there is so crucial to this story…. You'll have to read it carefully because some important things are between the lines or left unexplained. I'll answer your question in the story too but it'll be a while before I get to that point. Anyway thanks for your great review and sorry for the delay.

White Plum: Yo también amo a Kenshin!!! Estoy mas bien obsesionada con él! Hasta mi novio lo sabe… Battousai es tan sexy! No te parece? Yo te dije que nunca dejaría que a Kaoru le pasara algo tan horrible como ser violada y no le paso… para eso está Kenshin, para protegerla! Hay muchas historias de reencarnación o AU con todos los miembros del Kenshingumi pero yo prefiero dejar esta historia solo con Kenshin y Kaoru así que no esperes ver a nadie más. Espero que me escribas de nuevo pronto!

Kary: Estamos de acuerdo, Kenshin es lo más hermoso que existe! Gracias por tu review y espero que te halla gustado este capítulo también!

moon goddess: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too. Thanx for reviewing, I hope to hear from you again!

Naomi: Yes Kenshin will protect Kaoru no matter what. Sorry for the long update… Thanks for your nice review and for helping me post that chapter by sending me the link to the login page. Talk to you latter!!!

Sabrina-star: MUCHAS GRACIAS POR AGREGARME A TUS AUTORES FAVORITOS!!!!! A mi también me encanta cuando Kenshin actúa como Battousai… Gracias por entender eso de los capítulos y por tu review!!! Tu en serio sabes como subirle a uno el ánimo y hacerlo sentir bien… Gracias!

Shizika: Yes, Kenshin is like Superman in many ways. When I was writing the part about the cuffs I was thinking that it was maybe a little OOc to make him break them, but then I remembered that in Jinchu when he finally gets out of Rakunimura he breaks the chain holding his sakabatou so if he could do that he could break cuffs too. Thanks for reviewing!!!!

Lysse-chan (Gaby): Gracias por tu review!!! No sabes lo feliz que me hace saber que a la gente le gusta lo que escribo, Gracias. Lamento haberme demorado tanto escribiendo este capítulo. Yo se que yo te dije que lo iba a actualizar antes pero… En todo caso espero que te haya gustado y estamos hablando.

Gipsy-chan: Thank you for your reviews, all of them!!! I'm glad you kept reading even if it was sad and that you liked the Battousai part too. I love Kenshin when he goes Battousai! I never thought of e-mailing updates but I'll do it if it makes the readers happy. Thanks for your great reviews!!!!!

Kyaa-Kyaff: I droll over Kenshin turning Battousai too, he is just so sexy! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too! Hope to hear from you again soon!!!

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