Hi everybody! I am not Rikku'sBrunetteDouble, just her buddy borrowing her account until I can get my own. You can just call me Bob for now. Also, this is aVERY RARE quick update. I already have the first three chappies so those'll go up quick, but the others will take a while. Anyway, I hope you guys like the story so far... again, please review until my eyes bleed reading them all!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Samurai X or Rurouni Kenshin… $#.

Shuurajou Secchuu

Shuurajou secchuu,

Beni aka zakuro hanagoori.

Chapter Two- Iris in the Rain

Kenshin gently touched the vertical scar that slid down his left cheek. Blood no longer dripped from it. Tomoe's fiancé…

Are you superstitious?

No.

Your wound hasn't healed yet because, even in the afterlife, he is seeking revenge.

Really?

No, it's just an old wives' tale.

Tomoe was still weeping, but quietly now, sensing Kenshin's deep thought. Her finger stopped tracing the line of the scars on his back and let it gently rest on his shoulder.

"Kenshin," she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," Tomoe murmured. "I didn't mean to break down like that."

Kenshin let his head drop to the side and rest on hers which was still lying gently on his shoulder. "There's nothing to be sorry about Tomoe," he coaxed. "I think your fiancé…is proud of you."

Tomoe smiled and a final tear rolled down Kenshin's back. She lifted her head and draped her arms around him, letting her chin rest on his shoulder. Kenshin could smell white plums and his senses calmed completely. He took one of her pale hands in his and held it lightly. He closed his eyes and found himself in a storm of crimson flower petals, fluttering in the air. Then, they began to settle and floated tranquilly downwards. He felt a light breath on his neck.

"I'll always love you Kenshin," Tomoe said softly. "No matter what."

Kenshin opened his eyes and he was back in his own home, still safely wrapped in his wife's arms. "I'll never stop loving you either," Kenshin said, "my Ayame, my Iris."

Tomoe woke to the soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof. She looked to her side and saw her husband lying beside her. He's so beautiful when he's asleep, she thought. Only a child. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about what had been keeping her up all night. After a moment of deep thought, she silently crept from underneath of the blankets and neatly folded them on her futon. She took her lilac shawl and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders. I hope Enishi is using my umbrella today, she thought, her brother's face flashing in her mind. It must also be raining in Edo.

She slipped on her wooden geta and silently slid open a fusuma. Tomoe crept out into the grey drizzle. Rain washed down her white face, just like it washed away the white snow that still clung to the cold, packed earth. She turned down the rock road and began to walk. She seemed unaware of her surroundings, almost like when she had been drunk, when she had first met Kenshin. It was you. You made the rain bleed. "Kenshin," she said softly. She walked for some time, the rain soaking into her, seeping against her skin.

She began to find herself surrounded by snow-covered trees; a path she had taken only the day before. Tomoe uneasily passed by the corpse of a ninja who still had his hand wrapped around a trigger; one that had caused a large explosion She continued walking, shivering in the light shower, until she reached a small clearing. A small shrine, merely a wooden hut, sat in the snow, the rain washing blood onto its weak, wooden foundations. In front of the humble shrine, amid a scene of bloody carnage, a long sword stood stuck in the freezing snow, rain running down its blade, washing away the scarlet that had tainted the steel. The rain began to grow steadily heavier and Tomoe rushed towards the slender sword. She pulled the katana out of the snow and stumbled under its weight.

It's so heavy, she thought. Yet he can kill with it at a god-like speed. The rain was pouring now, and it began to flood atop the heavily packed snow. Tomoe began to trudge toward the shrine, dragging the heavy sword behind her. She pushed open the old door and faltered into the small hut. She dropped to her knees and let the katana slip out of her grasp. Every bit of her was soaking and her jet black hair hung in her face. She pushed her dripping bangs out of her eyes and let out a tiny sob for on the floor was a withered pomegranate bloom.

Its deep crimson flowers were dry and stiff, no longer soft and smooth like they should be. She shakily reached out and touched the delicate blossom. A petal broke away from the others and landed on the wooden floor. Tomoe scooped up the flower and held it in two cupped hands.

"My love," she whispered, "are you really proud of me?" A tear rolled down her cheek, mingling with rain drops.

Abruptly, the door behind her banged open and a familiar voice sounded in her ears. "Tomoe!"

Tomoe turned her head and saw her brother standing in the doorway, a royal blue umbrella in his hands. White flowers were printed on the closed parasol. "Enishi!" she said in a worried tone. "Why are you here? I thought I told you to go back to father in Edo!"

"No!" Enishi retorted in an angry tone. "I wasn't going to back to Edo until I saw that assassin's dead body hanging in the streets of Kyoto. And if I ever go back to Edo, I won't be alone!" He directed his gaze strait upon his sister, his onyx eyes harsh and demanding.

Tomoe looked at his twisted, anguished face and saw a mingle of grief, anger, and hatred. "Why do you hate him so, little brother? You don't even know him as a human. You only know him as the monster the Shogunate has created in your mind," she said quietly.

"Why!" Enishi roared. "Why do I hate him? I hate that demon because of what he did to our family! He killed the man you love, the man who was fighting for YOU! HE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM ME!"

Tomoe stood up, letting the pomegranate bloom fall from her gentle hand, its petals scattering across the floor. She looked down at her little brother, her heart aching with love and soft anger. "Enishi," she said gently, "I love you. Now please, go back home."

"But I don't understand!" Enishi cried. "I don't understand! Why are you staying with the devil that killed the man you loved! Why are you letting him live; why are you dishonoring your fiancé!"

Tomoe bent down and cupped Enishi's face in her hands. She looked into his dark eyes. "Because I love him," she said quietly.

Enishi pulled away from her, looking at her with bewildered eyes. He threw down the delicate umbrella and ran into the downpour, splashing in the deep puddles. She watched her brother charge away, then slumped to the floor and waited for the rain to cease.