[KFFDisc] That Which Lingers - Part 13 (rough draft)

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This story is set in my own ALTERNATE REALITY Rurouni Kenshin universe
which I've called "The Nightwitch Tales" -- think of it as Rurouni
Kenshin mixed with various supernatural and paranormal elements.
Other stories in this alternate reality are: "Night Visitor"; "All in
the Family"; and "Romancing the Wolf".
 
It takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc.  After that, all
bets are off.  Elements of the Revenge story arc may show up in the
story.
 
WARNING:  This story is "semi-dark" -- it has dark elements
(violence, profanity, etc.) but it's not a darkfic!  Actually, there's
quite a bit of romance in it....     ^_-

As always, C&C is greatly appreciated!   ^_^

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    THAT WHICH LINGERS:  A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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        Part 13:  REMINDERS
======================================================================

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Disclaimer
    All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro
Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties.
The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the
purpose of entertainment only.  This work of fiction is not meant for
sale or profit.  Original portion of the fiction included here is
considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author.

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Text Conventions
    (  ) are character thoughts
    / / and // // represent various sorts of mental dialogue
    * ----- * ----- *  marks the start/end of dreams or flashbacks
    [ ] denote visual or time notes

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[the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer]

-----------------------------------
 
    Yahiko yelled, "Yeah, to Kyoto!  Don't you remember!?  We're going
to Osaka so we can get to Kyoto and find Kaoru!"

    Kenshin turned and stared at them with a cool, if mildly confused,
look in his pale violet eyes.  In a perfectly calm and coherent voice,
he asked a very simple question.

    "Kaoru?  Who's Kaoru?"

-----------------------------------

    He might have sounded detached and calm... but he was certainly
feeling otherwise.  He kept his emotional turmoil from showing only by
sheer willpower... but then again, by this time, he'd had plenty of
practice.

    (Kaoru....)

    He rolled the name around in his mind.  He couldn't consciously
recall anyone by that name... and yet, another part of him knew it
very well.  The person and the memories associated with that name were
desperately important to him.  He knew that for a certainty.  But why
and how... there were simply NO details.

    His memories were crystal clear up to a certain point... and after
that, they seemed to lose all sense or coherency, like leaves blowing
in the wind.  He could catch glimpses... fragments, but the whole
picture utterly refused to come together.

    He glanced at the other people who stood on the dock, staring
worriedly at him.  He couldn't remember their names, but they were
familiar to him.  He knew how he felt about them.  The tall young man
dressed in white pants and jacket... the young boy in yellow and
brown... they were his friends.  He trusted them with his life.
Behind them stood a teenage girl dressed in a rather skimpy blue
outfit.  He liked her.  She was trustworthy... to a certain extent.

    His eyes narrowed warily as he noticed the tall man who stood next
to the girl, holding a sword.  Although the man was obviously weak
from injuries, it was obvious to him that the man would still make a
dangerous opponent.  While he felt cautious about the tall man, there
didn't seem to be any hostility against him, either.  He respected the
man and, like the girl, trusted him in certain ways.

    His musings were interrupted as the man in white grabbed him by
the collar and hauled him into the air.

    "KENSHIN!!!  What the HELL are you talking about!?  You damn well
know who Kaoru is!"

    "Put me down."

-----------------------------------

    There was no anger in Kenshin's voice, but his words were spoken
in a way that made it very unwise to refuse.  Sano blinked, then
slowly lowered him back to the ground.  Releasing his grip on
Kenshin's clothes, the fighter took a wary step back and stared at his
friend.  There was some sort of recognition in Kenshin's gaze as he
looked at him, Yahiko, Misao, and Aoshi.  On some level, the swordsman
knew them... but there was also painfully clear that there was much he
DIDN'T remember about them.

    Yahiko was nearly jumping up and down with anxiety.  "Kenshin,
c'mon, snap out of it!"

    "Himura!  You've GOT to remember Kaoru!" Misao yelled.

    Kenshin frowned, the look of confusion growing.

    (Yes!  It's like he's trying to remember....) Sano thought.

-----------------------------------

    The obvious worry and concern on his companions' faces echoed
Kenshin's own chaotic feelings.  Somehow, their physical presence made
it much easier to remember what little he could about them.  But
Kaoru... there was joy, contentment, hope... and then there was
fear... pain... loss....

    It was the same sort of patterns of emotions he had experienced
when Tomoe died.  He desperately wanted to remember more about this
Kaoru, but at the same time, he dreaded the pain of reopening old
wounds.

    (What am I doing here?  I should be in Kyoto.  What's going on!?)

    His head ached.  Reaching up, he felt a painful lump.  He had been
struck on the head, but it didn't seem that serious.  It certainly
didn't feel severe enough to scramble his memories so badly.

    "Where am I?" he asked softly.

    Sano took a very deep breath and said, "The Tokyo city harbor."

    "Tokyo?"  The name felt both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
 
    Aoshi said quietly, "Tokyo's the new name for Edo."

    As recognition dawned in Kenshin's eyes, Sano thought, (Hold it...
if he doesn't recognize the new name for the city of Edo, that means
that he's lost nearly a decade of memories... which means that I'm not
talking to Himura Kenshin... I'm probably talking to Himura Battousai!
 Oh shit!  I'm lucky he didn't pound me into the ground for grabbing
at him!  But... that could be a good sign.  On some level, at least,
he DOES recognize me as a friend.)

    The fighter scowled.  There was something he forgot... something
very important about the fact that Kenshin's memories had apparently
reverted to the time where he'd been Himura Battousai.

    (What is it...?)  Both Sano and Aoshi abruptly stiffened as they
simultaneously remembered one very important fact -- they weren't the
only people standing on this particular dock.  There were two other
people nearby and one of them was....

    "SHIT!!!" yelled Sano as he smacked himself on the forehead.

    But it was too late.  Kenshin suddenly crouched and froze, his
hand automatically going for his sword.

-----------------------------------

    As he struggled to make sense of the scattered fragments of his
memories, he glanced around the area, seeking anything else that could
give him some clues to his current predicament.

    And in the tall, lean man with the cynical smile and narrow amber
eyes... he found it.  The man might have cut his hair... he might be
wearing something other than the familiar pale blue uniform... but the
Battousai would never forget his most formidable opponent.

    "Saitoh."

-----------------------------------

    The captain of the third troop of the Shinsengumi turned as
someone said his name.

    A mocking smile appeared on his lips as he murmured, "Battousai.
Imagine running into you here."

    "Are you responsible for what's happened to me?"

    Saitoh snorted and said, "I have no idea what you're babbling
about, but you won't have to worry about it for too long," as he
leisurely drew his sword.

-----------------------------------

    Sano bellowed, "Saitoh, what the hell are you doing!?"

    The policeman glanced briefly at the fighter and frowned slightly
before returning his full attention to Kenshin... or rather, the
Battousai.

    Misao whispered in an appalled voice, "I... I don't think he
recognized you...."

    "Oh shit... not BOTH of them," muttered Yahiko.

    Tokio swiftly stepped to her husband's side and grabbed his right
arm as she whispered urgently into his ear.

-----------------------------------

    "Hajime!  Listen to me.  Remember who you truly are.  This isn't
Kyoto.  You are no longer a captain of the Shinsengumi.  Himura is no
longer Ishin Shishi.  Those times have long passed."

    While still keeping a cautious eye on the Battousai, Saitoh
glanced at the woman staring up at him with dark brown eyes.  The face
was more mature than he remembered -- and even more beautiful, if that
was possible -- but the eyes were the same.  Even as a teenager, she'd
had those unforgettable eyes... the gentle, teasing eyes that saw
things in him that no other person ever had... the eyes of the girl...
no, the WOMAN that made him feel... whole.

    Her words and her gaze were like a swift breeze shredding the
mental fog that had been clouding his mind for the last several
minutes.  For a brief instant, he HAD thought he was back in the
streets of Kyoto, facing off against the Hitokiri Battousai... and
swore silently at himself.

    (Hell, not again!)

-----------------------------------

    Sano, Yahiko, and Misao heaved sighs of relief when Saitoh
gradually began to lower his sword as Tokio continued to talk to him.

    In a flat voice, Kenshin said, "Get out of the way, woman," as he
stared at Tokio with icy, pale eyes.

    Misao gasped quietly.  This was definitely the Hitokiri Battousai,
the lethal swordmaster assassin she'd seen in the dream with Aoshi.
She had no doubts whatsoever that he would go THROUGH Tokio to get to
Saitoh, if necessary.

    Saitoh's eyes narrowed hostilely at the Battousai's unmistakable
threat.  He started to lift his sword again when Tokio gently touched
his arm and shook her head.  Turning to face Kenshin, she stepped in
front of her husband and said quietly, "Himura-san, I have something
to give you."

    Kenshin tensed slightly as she slowly reached into her sleeve.  He
had no idea what she might be pulling out.  It could easily be a
weapon such as a shuriken or a throwing dart.  It had occurred before.

    With slow, graceful movements, Tokio removed her closed hand from
her sleeve and held it up in plain sight.  She then gradually opened
her hand....

    ....and a blue ribbon spilled from her fingers.
 
    It didn't look like much -- a simple strip of dark blue, watered
silk which fluttered in the stiff breeze off the harbor -- but Kenshin
was utterly mesmerized by the sight.

    ....and the memories of the past ten years returned in a rush and
fell into their rightful places with a thud....

    Tokio said nothing.  She simply stood still, Kaoru's favorite hair
ribbon trailing from her slim fingers.

    "Kaoru...," Kenshin whispered in a choked voice.  That ribbon had
been his very first gift to her... a replacement for the ribbon
stained and ruined during his battle with Udou Jine, the Black Hat
assassin.  It was the same ribbon she'd been wearing last night as she
was tucked into bed... practically last time he saw her.

    Tokio quietly approached Kenshin and reached out to touch his
unresisting arm.  As she gently wound the blue silk around the wrist
of his sword hand, she said, "I accidentally put this in my pocket
last night.  I was planning to return this to Kaoru the next time I
saw her... but I think it would be better if you gave it back to her
yourself.  And... perhaps it will help you remember what you're truly
fighting for."

    "Thank you... very much... Tokio-dono," said Kenshin, his head
bowed.

    She gave him a gracious nod in return, then returned to her
husband's side.

    Kenshin gently stroked the blue silk wrapped around his right
wrist, then glanced at his friends who all heaved a deep sigh of
relief as they saw the clear recognition in his eyes... even Aoshi.

    As he looked at them, he mentally recited their names.  (Sano...
Yahiko... Misao... Aoshi....)  All the memories were there, neatly in
their proper place.
 
    "Hmph.  If you're coming, you'd better hurry up and get onboard
now," snapped Saitoh as he sheathed his sword.
 
    Kenshin gave the policeman a cool glance and got an equally cool
one in return.  Saitoh stalked off toward the ship without another
word, Tokio easily keeping pace a few steps behind him.

    "Kenshin?" Sano asked.

    The red-haired swordsman nodded grimly. "Come on.  We'll...
talk... once the ship is underway."

-----------------------------------

    As the steamship left the harbor and headed out to sea, Kenshin
and his companions found an isolated spot and settled down to discuss
the incident at the dock.

    "Kenshin... what just happened to you?" Sano asked.

    "I... don't know.  I could clearly remember everything that
happened in Kyoto over ten years ago, but everything since then... the
memories were there, but disjointed... scattered.  I knew all of
you... but not clearly.  And...."

    Misao said, "And... Kaoru?"
 
    Kenshin was silent for a few moments.  Finally, he whispered, "I
knew there was someone... very important to me... someone I couldn't
remember....  You were right there in front of me.  I could match bits
of memories to the image of specific people... but... but Kaoru wasn't
there."

    "And then you saw Saitoh," muttered Yahiko.

    Kenshin sighed quietly.  "Yes.  When I saw him... old memories and
old habits took over.  If it hadn't been for his wife...."  As his
voice trailed off, his gaze returned to the blue silk ribbon that
Tokio had so carefully put around his wrist.

    Misao said quietly, "Kenshin, you weren't the only one who
somehow... forgot things."

    "What do you mean?"
 
    Sano growled, "I mean I'm pretty sure Saitoh had a flashback of
his own.  I mean, he looked right at us, but I don't think he
recognized us."

    Leaning against a nearby wall, Aoshi said, "Don't forget about his
little memory lapse yesterday evening."

    Kenshin cocked his head slightly.  "When did this happen?  I
wasn't aware...."

    "This happened right after that... vision thing we all experienced
at the clinic... you know, how you got part of your scar," said Sano.

    The redhead's hand unconsciously drifted up to his left cheek.
 
    "You were really out of it so you wouldn't have noticed, but
Saitoh made some really weird comment to his wife about being
acquainted for only a few days.  That must have thrown the lady for a
real loop!"

    "Yeah!  But Saitoh snapped out of it as soon as she reminded him
that they'd known each other for nearly fifteen years and been married
for eight years," added Yahiko.

    "Fifteen years.... he must have known her in Kyoto...," Kenshin
murmured thoughtfully.
 
    "I guess so."
 
    Aoshi said, "That's probably why she managed to talk him out of
attacking.  Even if he'd had a memory slip similar to Himura's, he
would still remember her clearly."

    Yahiko said angrily, "All these weird dreams and images from
Kyoto... Shinsengumi ghosts prowling around in that city... both
Saitoh and you forgetting nearly everything after the Bakamatsu no
Douran....  Aw hell, it's like the past is coming back to life!"

    The boy abruptly stopped as everyone suddenly stared at him.  A
long silence followed.

-----------------------------------

    In their own cabin, Saitoh was leaning against the wall.  He
glanced at his wife and said in a detached voice, "How did you know?"

    "Hm?" she murmured absently.

    "How did you that I was... caught up in my memories of the past?"

    Tokio stopped unpacking and sat down on the bunk.  With a gentle
smile, she said, "There was a certain... glint in your eye that I
remember from those days back in Kyoto."

    "Really?"  Saitoh sounded a bit startled.

    She chuckled quietly.  "Oh yes.  I remember everything little
about you... even back then."

    He walked over to his wife and lifted her chin.  Staring down at
Tokio, he asked with mock severity, "So... are you saying that I've
lost a bit of my fire since then, hm?"

    "On the contrary.  You've lost nothing over the years, my husband.
 You've just become more patient... and more cunning as time passes."
And the twinkle of laughter in her eyes seemed to indicate that she
didn't mind the change at all.

-----------------------------------

    In Kyoto, at the Aoiya restaurant, Okina and the others were
struggling to make heads or tails of Misao's most recent message from
Tokyo.  The message had been so long and involved that it had taken
two carrier pigeons to carry.

    Shiro asked, "What does she say?"
 
    Okina frowned.  "Misao says that they'll be leaving Tokyo by first
available ship.  Shiro, check to see when it's due to arrive in
Osaka."  As the Oniwabanshuu nodded, the old man continued, "She also
says that Kaoru is... is...."  He reread the code group several times
just to make sure.

    "What happened to Kaoru-san!?" Omasu said worriedly.
 
    "Misao said that Kaoru has been apparently been... possessed."
 
    "WHAT!?" shouted the four other ninjas.
 
    "And that she's on her way here to Kyoto.  We're to watch for her,
but under no circumstances to approach or contact her.  Misao also
wants us to dig up any information we can on a man called Junichi
Minobe."

    Okina glanced around somberly at his subordinates.  "Well, don't
just sit around!  Get moving!"

-----------------------------------

    "Uh, guys....  Uh... was it something I said?" Yahiko muttered as
his eyes shifted uneasily.

    A pale-faced Kenshin whispered, "That may be exactly what's
happening.  If that black sword's vengeance involves something that
happened during the civil war, it may be that the sword -- or the
entity controlling the sword -- isn't content to just force me to
return to the place where I supposedly committed this... 'sin' against
Minobe Junichi...."

    "But also to return you to the TIME of that 'sin'," said Aoshi.
"And not just you, but Saitoh as well."
 
    "Then... then.... Himura!  If you go to Kyoto, whatever's
happening to you guys is probably only going to get worse!" Misao
shouted.

    "I know.  But I don't have a choice."  Kenshin's grip tightened on
his sakabatou.  "And even if Kaoru wasn't involved, I... would still
have to go...."

    "Why!?" she sputtered in confusion.

    Aoshi said sharply, "Because it's very unlikely that these
manifestations will just stop on their own.  Whatever this enemy is,
it won't be satisfied until Himura and Saitoh return to Kyoto to
confront it."

    Kenshin's bangs shaded his eyes from view as he said quietly.
"Yes.  I know this.  Saitoh knows this.  And we both know that
whatever's happening in Kyoto must be stopped at any cost."

    "Saitoh?"  Misao blinked, then said, "Of course.  That 'Aku Soku
Zan' thing of his."
 
    The red-haired swordsman mutely nodded.

    "Well, Saitoh might be an evil, psycho bastard, but I've got to
admit he's got dedication," Sano muttered reluctantly.

    Yahiko stared at the deck.  "But... is it really that dangerous?
I mean... ghosts and illusions can't really hurt people if...if you
don't pay attention to them, right?  I mean, they're not real...
things...."  However, his voice trailed off uneasily as he remembered
Kenshin's scar bleeding and the bloodstains on the swordsman's hakama
after the vision at the clinic.

    Misao and Aoshi exchanged uneasy glances.

    "Ghosts and undead spirits are very real.  They can do a lot more
than just startle and scare, boy.  In certain situations, they can
wound and even kill," said a familiar, cynical male voice from
overhead.

    They all turned to stare at Saitoh who was hanging over the rail
on the deck above them.

    "That... sounds like the voice of experience," said Aoshi.
"First-hand experience."
 
    Saitoh shrugged away the unspoken question and walked away.

-----------------------------------
(end of part 13)

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Next part:  A leisurely cruise and plenty of conversation.  ^_^

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madamhydra@aol.com         /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E

http://www.oocities.org/~madamhydra/