My Memories of You
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"I think this is it." Said Aoshi, stopping the car before the large gate; he'd been driving all night and was tired, but his GPS kept him awake; the little spot over the address was blinking and beeping. Misao watched the gate as did the woman behind them. "Are you ready?"

"No."

"Good, get out."

"I rather come tomorrow; it's so late as it is…"

"Out." And Aoshi turned the engine off and exit it, while Misao turned to the shaking woman.

"Don't be afraid, I'm sure they'll be relieved."

"Right, right." And the door opened Aoshi's hand extending to help her out. "Misao?"

"Come on, let's do this."

As the women got uot the car, Aoshi rang the bell.

'
'

"Must be the pizza, can you get it, Ken?" Asked Megumi trying to drag Sanosuke out of the practice hall with Yahiko still trying to get the taller man into a fight. Kenshin, smiling, just agreed and cleaned his hands. HIs sandals were donned as he neared the door and he moved quickly, another pair of knocks were heard and he took a deep breath.

"Hai, hai. Coming." He hurried to the door, unlatched and looked...

Many things had been going through Kenshin's mind. Dinner, the string of Sano and Yahiko's fighting which was on its own bothersome, the stock market, the papers he still had over his desk in need of verification and signatures, the phone calls he had to make and the money he owed Megumi. There was also the little thing with Tomoe and the fixing of the wedding cake, the ribbons for the church's hall and how to explain to Yahiko that he'll have to move with Sano and Megumi when he got married. Not to mention he had to take the car to check the suspension and air conditioning that were faulty.

He'd never expected to open the door to find Kaoru standing there, in her gorgeous yellow kimono and holding a small bag. Kenshin was tempted to slam the door and hurry away but his body froze and none of his limbs were responding.

"Hi!" She said in her usual cheerful self, smiling so brightly and carefree. "Is this the Himura residence?"

Kenshin would have said yes, but he fainted. He was oddly aware of her cries and been carried away before total darkness overtook him.

'
'

"So you were living in Kyoto all these years, and only now realized you didn't belong there?" Asked Megumi, handing Kaoru a cup of warm tea. The girl before them was cheerful, seeming content with holding Yahiko and full of curiosity.

"I was walking with a friend of mine, Misao Makimachi?" None had heard of said person. "She told me that she'd seen a picture of me in an old restaurant."

"The Akabeko?"

"Yes, and we went there. The waitress had a similar reaction than Kenshin-san when she saw me. She told me my name and gave me this address..."

"Told you your name?"

"Yes, I suffer amnesia. I was found near the train wreck a few years back, maybe you remember?"

"Boy, do we." Said Sano, leaning back on his seat.

"The farmer who found me kept me at his place overnight and then no emergency teams could reach me for two weeks. When the doctor checked me he said I was perfectly fine, but had a nasty bump on my head."

"And that produced the amnesia. You don't remember anything, at all?" Asked Megumi, knowing the clinical case.

"Sometimes, flashes of red and amber hit me. Other's just laughter and voices I can't make out. One day, I dreamed walking through an old house, like this dojo, and fixing the plumbing of an old bathroom."

"With white and blue tiles?"

"Yes."

"Come with me, Kaoru. I want to show you something." Megumi got up, and Kaoru set her cup down to follow. They moved through the hallway and Kaoru just looked around surprised. Behind them Yahiko and Sano, egging the results of whatever Megumi was doing.

"But this..." Soon they were moving into the bathroom, and while the boys stayed outside Kaoru looked around the little room, as Megumi opened the cupboard doors to reveal a set of old pipes.

"Is this the plumbing work you were doing in your dream?" Kaoru took longer than needed to answer.

"This is the house?" Her voice was small, frightened almost.

"Kaoru," Megumi moved to her, placing both hands on the girl's shoulders and squeezing softly. "This is your house. Kenshin bought it for you, and was fixing things up for when you two got married."

Kaoru's face twitched and tears filled her eyes. "Then the ring is mine? I wasn't holding it for someone like she said?"

"Ring?" Sano asked from the door, frowning.

"What ring?" Kaoru sniffled and searched around her neck pulling out a chain with a ring and diamond dangling from it.

"I had it one the day of the accident, but she said I was using some else's ring, that it had brought back luck and the accident had happened?"

"She? Whose she?"

"My protector: Lady Takeda."

Megumi turned to Sano whose eyes widened and then hurried out. "Let's go back to the living room, alright?" And in the way Megumi let out a laugh. "You know: I'm so glad you're back! To see Kenshin faint like that was memorable!"

'
'

"Amnesia is really difficult thing. Anything can trigger the return of memory, or nothing will. Sometimes it's a gradual process and others a swift swing. Only time can tell." Said Megumi to the little crowd after Kaoru had asked if her memory would ever return. Yahiko remained quiet while another round of tea was handed. "Let's all hope, for Kenshin's sake, that you remember quickly. Besides been in familiar environment is good for the return of memories."

"How long have I lived here?"

"You moved in with Kenshin a year before the accident. Six months before the accident you were already talking marriage and furniture. Yahiko can tell you other details too."

"And you are my little brother?"

"Yep, ten years younger." He said proudly. "You've been taking care of me since I can remember."

"And our parents?"

"They both passed away, I remember Pappa a bit but only images." Kaoru nodded and smiled at her little brother. Suddenly she lifted both arms and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry I left you alone all these years. Where you frightened?" He only nodded, and Kaoru covered him from the world, shielding his little boy's soul. "I promise not to leave again."

Heavy fast footsteps were heard and Sano let out a deep breath. "He's awake." The door to the tea room opened and Kenshin was there, clothing askew, hair all messy and eyes wide. Every eye turned to him, noticing how his breaths were deep and ragged, how he seemed horrified but glad to be there... A whole lot mix of emotions ran through his eyes in a kaleidoscope of fear and hope. "Kaoru-dono?"

"Hai!" She said, not really knowing what she was doing, mixing her response with a smile that simply returned his soul home. Funny; how long had his soul been away, wondering in pain for her soul? Once his soul and body had merged the first step taken was the most painful one, it was realization of reality the grounding of hopes. The second was also painful but with the hasty flood of emotions it meant the fire that had once been put out in his body was violently stuck back to life, he was whole again. The third and fourth were almost the point to break into a run; there was the object of his desires, the love of his life, the reason for his body to still draw breath.

"Kaoru-dono, Kaoru-dono, Kaoru-dono..." The mantra repeated in his soft voice, as if he couldn't believe she was actually there. As a matter of fact he couldn't believe it; he wanted all these years to pass, as if a dream and wake up only to find her here, taking tea and talking about life in general as if nothing had happened. He knelt before her, burring his face into the silk of her yellow kimono, surprising the woman. Kenshin finally cried, probably he'd cried before but not as heartbreaking as this time. Here she was alive! Alive! Where have you been my love, I've been waiting. His soul begged for a moment of love, anything that let her know she had also missed him, was it too little to task, too much probably?

Suddenly the soft fingers of Kaoru's combed his messy hair soothing without words. Kenshin looked up, and saw she was crying as well and all was well with the world.

'
'

"Sano I don't care." Said Kenshin, sitting before his desk, typing furiously at the undeserving keyboard. He needed to finish this and settle things with Takeda before it was too late: Sano had come in and was babbling about something involving Tomoe but at the moment he honestly did not care.

"Well I do!" Roared the older brother to the love of Kenshin's life, making the much shorter man turn, stopping his typing. "I want to understand why they did this to me, us, you!" Kenshin just stared at him, obvious of the confusion in the man's head; if it weren't because he'd pinched his cheek and arms several times, enough to draw blood, Kenshin would be in a similar state. "Just call the Takeda broad and ask her why." Kenshin frowned.

"Why what?"

"The Takeda broad is who kept Kaoru away all this time! Ask her if she wants to go to jail before or after explaining things to us!" Cried Sano, angered by his friend's stupidity…

Until Kenshin's eyes turned amber and his skin tensed, the temperature of the room dropped considerably and the keyboard was pushed back with a swift swipe of hands, almost as if cleaning the blood off a blade. "What?"