Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin was created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. I don't own anything I'm just borrowing.

Author's Note: This is my first fic ever!!! So please be nice to Saby-chan, ok?! English is not my first language so I'm sorry for any mistakes (there'll be probably a lot ::sniff::).

"......" indicates dialogues

'........' indicates thoughts

WHEN IT RAINS

Chapter 1

Kaoru woke up from her nightmare, panting hard, sweat over her face. She tried to put herself together, but the images were so clear. She wished that it was only a bad dream, everybody has them, right? But then it couldn't be like that, not when those images were memories of her own. She's always tried to keep them buried in the depths of her mind. And her will to do so was so great that for a long time she succeeded. However she should have known that some secrets can't be kept hidden forever especially when, little by little, it absorbs you.

The darkness of the night filling the room and the persisting silence only helped to disturb her thoughts and feelings even more, leaving her confused. So, to make sure that it was truth, she had to see it again, see what caused her all the distress she was going through right now. Kaoru got up from her futon and walked over her closet.

She grabbed a little wooden box; she opened to find a letter delivered for her earlier today. She touched it slightly, almost like she was afraid and read it like she had done early in the morning...

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At first, when she received the letter Kaoru felt very happy, thinking that it was probably from Misao with some news from Kyoto or maybe from Yutaro. She hurried herself to open it but then she froze in shock. It was a good thing that she was alone when she first read it otherwise her friends would have noticed that something was definitely wrong. Her blue eyes widened as the words finally sank in. Her slender hands trembling as she held the paper.

' Not now! Not after all this time when I thought that I could leave all those terrible memories behind. I thought everything had ended after his death. Who could have sent me this? Who could...'

But her trail of thoughts was interrupted when she heard voices and footsteps coming. She quickly hid the letter in her sleeve ' They must not know about any of this '

Yahiko, Sano and Kenshin were back from their earlier fishing. While the spiked-hair boy and the rooster-head were arguing about something like they usually do Kenshin, with his singular rurouni smile, was trying to put an end in the quarrel.

" Maa...maa Yahiko sessha doesn't really think that Sano was trying to drown you on purpose I'm sure he was just joking."

" No he wasn't!! And if you haven't got there in time I would be dead right now!!"

" Oh! Don't be so weepy Yahiko-CHAN! You've got what you deserved for calling me rooster-head!!"

"Stop calling me chan, that's what started everything, if you would respect me as the MAN I am then I wouldn't keep calling you rooster-head!!" Yahiko replied raising his chest with proud.

At that Sano bursted out laughing and even Kenshin had to fight to keep from smiling himself.

The entire scene went completely unnoticed to Kaoru whose thoughts were lost in the letter but Yahiko's voice brought her back to reality.

" Hey busu we brought you a present you'll love. A catfish!! Hahahahahaha!" Yahiko was holding the fish and swinging it around. But Kaoru's reply wasn't like anything he expected and it caused him and the others to stare at her in shock open-mouthed.

" That's great Yahiko I'm sure Kenshin'll make up a delicious lunch with it."

She was already leaving the kitchen when the three of them were able to say something.

" Busu?!"

" Jou-chan?!"

" Kaoru-dono!?"

" N-nani?"

" Did you hear me right, busu? I mean... I've said CATFISH-PRESENT-FOR-YOU. What the hell is wrong with you? Did you hit your head or something while we're out?"

" Did you eat of your own food Jou-chan?"

"Daijoubu Kaoru-dono?"

Realizing that her actions would only make them worried and suspicious she tried to clear up her mistake.

" Huh? Oh I've heard you perfectly Yahiko-chan but like any other adult I was simply ignoring an annoying kid as yourself. I mean you're just a little boy anyway. And by the way after you're done playing with this disgusting fish of yours I want you to do five hundred swings before lunch and more five hundred after. You're getting too lazy with your training! "

Cursing loud Yahiko went to the dojo to start his practice without saying a single word after seeing the look pure death shimmering from Kaoru´s eyes.

Sano began to look for something he could eat untill lunch. But with brows knotted Kenshin kept staring at her a little concerned.

For the rest of the day Kaoru tried her best to keep her mind away from that letter and the problems that would come along with it but she found very hard to do so; her thoughts kept betraying her. Therefore after dinner she went directly to her room, that way she could avoid any question Kenshin might have done concerning her unusual behavior the day.

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And now she was in her dark room after only a few hours of sleeping, staring at the letter. A single tear fell from her eyes, memories of a stormy night flooded her mind.

Rain.

Thunders and lightnings.

She was running, shaking her head in an attempt to deny the images she had just seen.

Her father

Her hero

How could he do something like that?

That day her heart broke in many pieces and everything she believed and learnt wasn't there anymore to support her because it was all a lie.

The blood was all over her despite the rain, its smell assaulting her senses.

She had never seen so much blood sprayed, producing a pool of a red liquid on the ground but then again, she had never seen someone dying before.

And all she could do was to keep on running.

Kaoru's eyes snapped open back to her room and she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. So she cried till there were no more tears left, only one thought in her mind

' How could you do that father? How could you betray everything you claimed to believe? And now somebody knows!!'

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Yokohama

A man was sitting in a bar, lost in his thoughts. He was wearing western clothes, a gray over coat and a black hat, which he didn't even bother to take off as he drank sake. The stranger kept staring at the letter he'd received today.

' I wonder if the others have also received a letter like this one or if... she has' this last thought made him shiver a little. The idea of her being hurt or threatened was something he couldn't...wouldn't allow. With this in mind he decided he would have to protect her even if she didn't want him to.

' She's almost nineteen now. I hope everything went fine with her during these past years. I wonder if she's still a stubborn girl like she used to be or if she's learnt how to cook.' a grin spreading on his face, but it faded away when he glanced the letter one more time.

" Excuse me, sir? ... Hmm.... Sir? Hey, sir?

The bartender voice finally reached him, " Um...Sorry I didn't hear you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, but we're about to close and you..."

" It's ok I was leaving anyway."

"Are you ok sir? I mean, you looked lost a few minutes ago"

" I'm fine, thanks."

" I noticed you're not from this surroundings, there's an inn just across the street if you need a place to spend the night. It's very nice and not at all expensive."

" That won't be necessary, I'm leaving this town already."

" Oh, really? Where to, if you don't mind me asking." the bartender asked, filling his glass one last time.

The man drank all the sake at once. "Tokyo"

The bartender chuckled and asked "Tokyo? What for?"

The man put down the glass and turned around to leave with only one more word coming from his mouth.

"Jasmine"

With that said, the man left the bar.

AN: Well, how was it? English is not my first language so I'm sorry for the mistakes I make (there'll be probably a lot ::sniff::).

Let me know what you think. Review!!