Chapter 2

Sabishi was taken back when she felt a pair of warm, soft lips touch against
hers in a deep kiss.  It was as though time has turned back and they were
young again...

("Nothing has changed... nothing will change... perhaps nothing shall
change...")

She closed her eyes as she kisses him back and it truly felt as though
nothing has changed.  Then the memory flashes back and she pulls away
suddenly.  Kenshin realizes what he has just done and turns away, his cheeks
flushing a light pink as he turns back and apologizes.

"Go-gomen nasi Sabishi de gozaru... I shouldn't be so..."

Sabishi presses a gentle finger against his lips to stop his attempt to
apologize.  Her eyes seemed so sad...

"Kenshin, don't do this to yourself.  You- you... Perhaps one time... a time
long ago you loved me... but Tomoe san has taken my place... I understand...
now... another has taken Tomoe's place... It is Kaoru san, is it not?"

['The quick wish of hope and love disappears as she looks over to the young
woman in her teens behind the ex-hitokiri.  She looks at the rurouni with
such tenderness... The red headed rurouni turns to her, Kaoru dono he would
call her and allow his eyes to soften with a smile... She suppresses all
hope and her wish and smiles... Another has claimed Kenshin's heart...']

She withdraws her finger from his lips almost regretfully and tries to get
up from the futon.  Sabishi gasps in pain as pain seared through her back
and she collapses.  Kenshin catches her and holds her tenderly in his warm
arms and seems to almost hold her to his firm body... She relished this
brief moment and pulls away with a flash of regret in her violet eyes.

"Kenshin san, you love Kaoru san, ne?"

This question has released the deep feelings inside of Kenshin and his eyes
widen in surprise.  A knowing smile is on the lips of Sabishi as she stands
up finally and opens the window.  A bitter wind blows in but she feels
nothing.  The stars sparkled down from the sky.  Sabishi looked up into the
sky and her eyes fill with tears, which she quickly contains with a false
bitter smile.  She lifts a slender hand to the sky.

"Kenshin, will I ever have a star?"

A whispered question and silence as an answer.  Time changes all...
 

***Flashback Four*** A love that was never meant to be...

Sabishi glanced worriedly at the 15-year-old boy in her bed.  He had a high
fever and he had not stopped shaking since she bought him into her home
soaking wet and very cold from the rain.  Kenshin, as he was called moved in
his sleep and his soft hair falls into his face.  Sabishi gets up from her
seat and pushes his hair aside and places a cool cloth on his forehead as
she pulled the large blanket over his bare shoulders.  He was ice-cold but
burning at the same time.  Sabishi felt worry as she watched him move in him
sleep, falling in and out of consciousness.

"He seems... he seems so alone... as though he is so lost and tired... as I
am..." Sabishi thought sadly.

[With that sentence and those words, she has finally acknowledge the
emptiness in her heart and soul.]

Kenshin shivers violently and without thinking, she suddenly embraces him.

Kenshin felt warm gentle arms wrap around him and a calming aura seems to
cover him, a feeling of warmth and love.
[A soul as alone and confused as his own... the bitterness of a hitokiri...]
His shivering subsided slightly as he began to warm up.

Sabishi smiled down at the boy in her arms, now that her cheeks were no
longer flushed. He was so peaceful now in his sleep with his charming face
and delicate features.  Kenshin's head was resting on her lap and she
shifted into a more comfortable position keeping her arms around the red
headed hitokiri in a warm embrace.  His shivering as well as most of his
fever has subsided now and he was sleeping peacefully.   The look Sabishi
gave him was one of total affection as she placed a cooling cloth on his
forehead to further bring down the fever.  Her eyes seem to fill with tears
as she searched his face as though thinking of a past... a bitter and lonely
past...

Kaoru sighed as she cut up the vegetables for breakfast.  She thought back
to the scene... the scene of Kenshin sitting in the darkness of the shadows.
An annoyed frown etched itself on the pretty 16-year old girl's face and she
began to chop the vegetables with renewed violence.

"How dare he act so cold!! Kenshin no baka!  How dare he act so-"

"Um... Ojousan... what are you doing?" A deep voice asked from the door.
Kaoru looks down to see the mess of vegetables and turned with a sheepish
expression toward the door to see Sanosuke standing there with a sweatdrop
over his head.

Kaoru laughs, "Ah he he he he he, hee?"

Sanosuke raises his hands and turns to walk out the door.
 "I don't want to know..." He mutters to himself.  Before he turns the
corner he looks back with a serious expression on his face.

"Do you know where Kenshin is?"

Kaoru sighs and worry crosses her pretty face.
"I don't know, maybe he's in the yard doing laundry again..."

Sano nods and turns the corner.

Kaoru stares out the kitchen windows with a sad expression as she thinks
about a certain red headed rurouni with a cross scar on his cheeks...

"What role does Sabishi san play in his past?"   Her blue eyes seems to show
despair but suddenly she realizes that she had to clean up the mess she made
as well as finish making breakfast.  She sets to work pushing all thoughts
aside till later.

Megumi walked into the room, which held the injured girl Sabishi.  She
expected the seemingly delicate girl to be asleep after yesterday's injury.
She frowned when she remembered that Kenshin refused to speak about her and
sat in the dark corner, his eyes to the ground lifting every once in while
to look at the unconscious figure on the bed.
It was quite a surprise when she walked in and saw that Sabishi was up.
Megumi's eyes narrowed when she saw that she was holding a sword and raising
it carefully level to her shoulders then above her head in a straight line.

"Sabishi san, you should be resting not moving about like that."

Megumi looked closer and saw that these motions were not just simple motions
but were for testing out her back.  Her eyes widened at this realization and
more so when she saw that the sword was a sakabatou.

Sabishi saw the knowing surprise in Megumi's eyes and smiled gently.
"I know Megumi sempai, I'll rest soon."  With one neglecting flicker of a
wrist her sword flew into the air.  Sabishi held out her sheath and the
sword sheathed itself as it came down.
She smiled, expecting...

"You knew Kenshin when he was Battousai didn't you?"

Sabishi turned and Megumi saw that she had probably planned on this.  She
had planned for part of her identity to be revealed...

"Hai Megumi san.  I knew him very well during the fight for the Meji era.  I
was one of the hitokiri in the ShiShi."

"Hi-hitokiri?"  Megumi said her eyes widening in shock as she desired to
edge away.

Sabishi nodded and motioned for the doctor to sit down.  Megumi sat down as
she did.

"I was Kenshin san's 'partner' during those times for a while until I was
thought to have died.  I returned later on but everything has moved on since
then..." Her voice suggested of pain and suffering barely restrained by her
will.  Megumi raised an eyebrow at this but nodded at her words.  She knew
this mysterious girl was hiding something but it was yet time to press for
answers.

"After the major battles were won I left and became a regular girl.  I
wandered around trying to find a place to fit in but the past skills and
days of the past stays with a person forever I suppose..." Her words seemed
bitter as she laughed gently.

"Wakata Sabishi san..." Megumi answered quietly.  Sabishi looked up slightly
in shock and smiled.

"Of course Takani Megumi san.  Your parents were famous doctors.  I see
their daughter has followed in their footsteps."

Megumi smiled at these gentle words and felt her spirits rise.  She thought
about her.

"What was your last name Sabishi?"

Sabishi smiled, this time a genuine one and her violet eyes reflected the
light of the daylight as though the violence of the past has been lifted
with this question and memories of tranquillity has returned.

"Takani.  My name is Takani Sabishi."

***Memory*** Recollections of a past...

"On-onesama!"  A little girl squealed as her older sister Yui lifted her up.
A pretty girl with long dark brown hair and blue eyes in her teen's laughs
as she swings her adopted little sister around.  It has been absolutely
wonderful since Sabishi had came into her life.  She now had something other
than the insanity of war to think about.

"Sabishi, it's time for lunch.  I made some more of those cookies you like
so much."

"Yay! Onesama is the greatest!"

"And then afterwards we will practice the sword some more..." Yui said with
a small smile.

Sabishi pouted slightly, "Onesama..." Her lower lip stuck out in a sweet pout.
"You had to ruin my day with that hateful training."

"Hateful?" Yui asked in surprise.

Sabishi smiled though, "But if it makes you happy, we'll train!"

Yui laughs at the adorable reflection on the eight-year-olds face.  Sabishi
was so cute, with her shoulder length midnight hair and big beautiful violet
eyes.   She had a delicate nose and a sweetly shaped mouth which seemed to
always hold a smile yet... like her eyes... it seemed to hold sadness...

"You would never think that someone so young would be able to take in so
much loss and pain..." Yui thought silently.

Sabishi had lost her parents during the violence of the new era, dying from
some disease and leaving their daughter to fend for herself.  It just so
happened that Yui had been there...

Yui sighed when she remembered the expression on Sabishi's face.  A normal
girl would be crying over the death her parents yet it was not so with her.
She was motionless, sitting in front of the dead bodies with dry eyes and a
terrible blankness that appeared to even spread to her soul.

"Onesama?" Sabishi said, shaking Yui from her thoughts.

Yui smiled and shook her head, "Let's go inside and eat."

"HAI Onesama!" The little girl cheered as she raced her older sister to the
kitchen.

Megumi was surprised at her answer.

"Takani?"

Sabishi nodded but she wasn't really listening to Megumi.  A small smile
tugged at the edges of Sabishi's lips as though the thoughts going through
her head were those of a happier past where she found happiness finally
through a loving sister and then, a lover.

"Yuori sama..." A dark figure in the corner said a low voice.

A bishonen in his twenties with short brown hair looked up from his seat and
answered the shadow that spoke.

"Yes Kurayami?"

"Yuori sama, Kuroi and Kuanja were unable to capture Hitokiri Sabishi for
you.  However, they do have interesting news for you." Kurayami looked up
with glittering golden eyes.

Yuori sat up straighter and set aside the glass of sake he had been sipping.

"Send both of them in."

"At once!" The shadow answered and disappeared into the darkness.

Kuroi and Kuanja entered seconds later and kneeled in front of Yuori.

"Please forgive us for our failure in capturing the girl."  Kuroi said in a
respectful voice.

Yuori waved it off.

"You are forgiven.  Now enlighten me.  What is this interesting information
you have discovered?"

Kuroi looked up with a smile.

"Hitokiri Battousai is here."

Yuori closed his eyes momentarily.  When his eyes opened, they were a
malicious piercing blue full of delight.

"Battousai... Do you know his exact whereabouts?"

"Yes sir.  He is currently residing in the Kamiya dojo.  It appears that
Sabishi is now living there as well."

Yuori laughed evilly at this news.  "Excellent!"

Kuroi bowed in respect with a small smile tugging at his lips.  Kuanja
narrowed his eyes at Yuori but stayed quiet.

"All that pain that Battousai has gave me, I will return ten fold!!!"
Yuori's eyes grew angry and his eyes narrowed dangerously.  Kuroi seeing the
expression on his master's face decided to leave and quietly withdrew into
the shadows.  Kuanja however stayed for a moment, his black eyes concealed
by the darkness along with his expression.

"Kuanja, it appears Battousai has lost his touch or am I wrong?"

Kuanja grunted and looked Yuori into the eyes.

"He seems to have turned rurouni as the rumors have said.   However, it
seems he reverts back to his old self every time he is angered."

Yuori clicked the sword at his side.
"The rurouni is of no use to me... But the former Battousai is important..."

"About Sabishi Yuori sama..."

"What about Sabishi?"  Yuori asked in an irritated voice.

"What do you intend on doing to her?" Kuanja asked, his eyes narrowing.
There seemed, a flicker of emotion...

Yuori did not answer however and for some reason the hardness in his eyes
disappeared for one moment and look of pure grief crossed his beautiful blue
eyes.  Kuanja remained silent his face hidden by the darkness.  One soft
word was spoken by Yuori... the voice of a young boy who has died so long ago...

"Onesama..."

"Kenshin!" Sanosuke said aloud.

Kenshin looked up in surprise.

Sano frowned at the rurouni.  He had been calling Kenshin for the last
minute or so and Kenshin had just noticed.

"Gomen nai Sano san.  I guess I was thinking about something... that's all..."

The last words seem to fade though as his eyes acquired a hint of guilt but
Kenshin covered it with a bright smile.
Kenshin looked down at the laundry he was doing and realized he had been
washing the same sheet for the past half-hour.

Kenshin laughed at himself at that silly mistake as he began on another
shirt.  Sano stayed quiet for a while watching the swordsman.  Finally Sano
spoke up.

"Stop it Kenshin.   We have known each other long enough to know when
something is bothering someone.  What is eating into your heart Kenshin?"

Kenshin actually stopped scrubbing and stared down into the clear water.
The smiling face he always had on disappeared and a serious face emerged.
But only silence could be heard.

"Kenshin, do you want to tell me?"

Kenshin opened his lips to speak when he heard the voices of three, two
young girls and the achingly familiar voice of the past...

"Ken niichan!!" Suzume and Ayame chan yelled as they clamored to Kenshin's
arms.  A small smile appeared on Kenshin's face as he hugged the two little
girls.

"Ayame chan, Suzume chan, what have you been doing today?"

Ayame smiled cheerfully and answered in her piping voice, "We went to the
gardens with Sabishi oneechan!"

Kenshin looked up into the face of the beautiful ex hitokiri, their violet
eyes mirror images of each other and locked forever in their souls...
Sabishi finally managed to pull her eyes away and plastered a fake smile on
her lips.

"Ah, minna san... um.. I'll be going inside..." She said hastily as she
rushed into the dojo.

"Sabishi neechan?" Suzume asked questionably with Ayame nodding.

Sanosuke saw the gaze exchanged between the two and he frowned.  He looked
over to Kenshin who had resumed his usual cherry appearance with some
difficulty.  No matter how hard Kenshin and Sabishi would try to hide it,
Sano saw and now he wanted answers.

"You will speak to me later Kenshin."  Sano said in a quiet voice.  Kenshin
did not answer as he looked into the well with sad eyes.