Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Don't sue me! I'm poor! This story is for entertainment only and is no way meant to be offensive!

Warning: The story is PG-13, but chapter ratings will vary.

Rating: PG

Author's Note: THANKS SO MUCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO REVIEW! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^__^

~~ denotes shifts in time/character perspective, ** denotes character's thoughts

***For Susan…***

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Touch Me Deeply

Chapter 8: The Memories in Our Dreams

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Mars Colony 320: Kyoto II

Year: 2502

"Because it's true," Kaoru repeated slowly. "I must admit, Kenshin…your words confuse me, but they also make me very curious…I want to know…what makes you believe we were lovers in a past life? Why do you say that you've always known me?"

The auburn-haired major set his fork down on the table, pushing his tray away from him slightly and leaning his elbows on the table. His amethyst eyes fell to his hands for a brief moment before lifting to meet hers, filled with such intensity that she found herself unable to move or tear her navy gaze away.

"Ever since I can remember, I've had dreams about a girl with long black hair and deep blue eyes," Kenshin murmured softly. "The dreams varied, the year varied, but the girl was always the same. ALWAYS. When I was young, I used to think I was dreaming of an angel. My guardian angel from the heavens…

"As I grew older, the dreams became more persistent, sometimes I would have more than one in a night…after a while, I decided that I had to pursue them…they were trying to tell me something, I was sure of it…I tried to do research, I saw different psychiatrists…nothing I read, nothing they did, could help me in any way…then one night…one night I had a dream that made it all so clear…"

"What happened?" the raven-haired sergeant questioned when he trailed off. "What was the dream about?"

"In the dream I was a police officer and so was she…we were trying to rescue people…from a bomber or something…for some reason, she was sent in without me…and the building exploded…"

Kaoru swallowed thickly as he paused, noting the agonized expression that had clouded his handsome features.

After a moment, he continued quietly, eyes trained on his glass as he fiddled with his straw, stirring it slowly in his orange juice. "She was flung away from the building and I rushed her to the hospital, but I couldn't save her…she died…" The redhead stopped speaking once more, closing his eyes briefly. "But before she died…before she passed on…she made me promise…promise that we would always be together, that in another life I would find her…and that we would be happy…"

"I see…"

"Do you, Kaoru?"

The young sergeant looked away from him, dropping her gaze to her half- eaten food. "I—"

"Do you understand what that dream made me realize?" Kenshin asked, interrupting her gently. "It made my purpose in this life clear. My purpose, my reason for being here, is to find her…and keep my promise…"

Kaoru remained silent, gnawing on her lip nervously, half-hoping he would continue, half-hoping he would stop.

"I have searched for her my whole life," the redhead stated in a whisper. "Every place I have been, every spare moment I have had, I have looked for her…and then one day…one day I was visiting my old military academy…and I saw her…I saw you…in a picture…"

"You saw me?" the navy-eyed woman asked in surprise.

Kenshin nodded slowly. "Yes…and ever since then…I haven't been able to get you out of my thoughts…before we met, I spent my every waking moment thinking about you…about what it would be like to hold you, to touch your skin, to feel your heartbeat…and now that I am finally able to be with you…I…I'm sure you think I'm some sort of lunatic…"

"I don't think you're a lunatic." Absently, Kaoru picked up her fork, pushing vegetables around on her ceramic plate as she avoided the major's eyes. "But…what makes you so sure that this girl is me? There could be another person out there who resembles the girl from your dreams as well."

"It is you, Kaoru."

"How can you be sure?"

"I know it in my heart."

The navy-eyed girl looked up at his statement, staring at him for a moment before lowering her gaze back to the table.

"Once again, I apologize, Kaoru," Kenshin murmured quietly after a few tense minutes of silence. "It seems as if my feelings make you uncomfortable. I don't want our relationship to be strained. I will not try to force my unwanted attentions on you…"

"Major Himura!"

At the sound of his name, the redhead glanced to the right, eyes falling on a worried-looking private. "Yes?"

"Lieutenant Claire wishes to speak to you at once!"

"Of course," the major said hurriedly, lifting his tray and casting a rapid glance in his partner's direction. "I will see you later, Kaoru…"

The raven-haired girl could only nod as he walked away, listening intently to the low words the private was speaking as they made their way out of the cafeteria. Once his fiery hair was no longer visible, she rose, taking her tray to the garbage and dumping it quickly.

He had said he would not force his unwanted attentions on her. But…were they truly unwanted? **I love Enishi…I know I do…and he loves me…but I can't deny that I am attracted to Kenshin…everything he has said has only served to confuse me more…and that dream…was it just a dream, just my imagination? Or can it be a memory, as he says?**

Sighing deeply, she made her way back to their small quarters, flopping onto her mattress and staring up at the metallic ceiling as her thoughts raced in confusion. Who was Kenshin Himura, really? What did he want from her? She could not formulate a response. The man was an enigma, an endless puzzle. A part of him seemed open and completely honest, but she could tell he was hiding something from her. Something about the major was not as it seemed. She had seen it in his eyes, in the way he stared at her fiancé. There was something in him that could be dangerous, some part of his story that he was leaving out. **But what is it? What does he have against Enishi? Why does he think we would be better partners?**

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Mars Colony 323: Nova Hokkaido

Enishi sat before his laptop, silently typing up his reports and doing his best to ignore the constant noise coming from his partner's side of the small room. The tall sergeant seemed to find it impossible to be still or quiet. He was always moving, always chewing on something or humming a song to himself.

The dark-haired second lieutenant had grown rather accustomed to the comfortable silences he and Kaoru felt no need to fill when they were together. They could sit for hours, each busy with their own work or lost in their own thoughts, and be perfectly at ease, still managing to share the closeness they had developed as lovers and partners over the past three years without feeling the need to discuss petty subjects to fill the void. Dealing with his new partner was not something he looked forward to in the many months it could be before he and his fiancée were reunited.

Enishi relished his relationship with Kaoru more than anything. The simplicity of it, the joy of being near her, of inhaling her scent, of caressing her face. The war raged on around them, but even as their lives progressed, surrounded by violence and constant fear, he could find contentment in her smile, heaven in her arms. It was a feeling he dreaded to relinquish, knowing that the loss of her love would easily drive him into despair. But that would never happen. She was his fiancée, his future bride. There was nothing, no one, who could sever the bond that had formed between him, the emotion that they shared.

Pausing in his work, Enishi reached back, withdrawing a slim wallet from his pocket and flipping it open. Inside was a picture of him and Kaoru, taken the year before at the formal military winter ball. She had looked like an angel that night, her ice blue dress shimmering in the dim lights, her navy eyes flashing up at him, her hair braided and wrapped around the top of her head like a crown. He had never seen her look more beautiful, more radiant, than she had been that evening. The memory of it would last forever, permanently engraved in his memory.

He was never without the photograph, having it with him brought a certain level of comfort whenever he was forced to part with her for any length of time. Many a time while huddled under a tent in the middle of a battlefield, he had withdrawn the picture, memorizing every line, every detail, keeping it close to his heart. Kaoru had her own copy and he had been immensely pleased to find out that she also carried it with her at all times, keeping it safely tucked away in her own wallet or journal. The thought that they could be in different places, in different time zones, and still be looking at the same photograph, wishing for the other's presence, brought a brief smile to his face. **I wonder…are you looking at this picture right now, Kaoru? Are you longing for me as I am longing for you?**

Enishi jerked slightly, jarred out of his thoughts, when in the next moment, a shrill alarm sounded. He was on his feet instantly, tucking the wallet into his pocket as Sanosuke grinned over at him.

"Time for some action!" his partner declared almost happily.

The tall second lieutenant nodded, expression grim. **Whatever you're doing, wherever you are right now, Kaoru…be safe…**

TBC…

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And there you have it! Very short, gomen, but everything that needed to be said or done in this chapter was done. I can't seem to make these chapters long. ::sweatdrop::

ANYWAY, thanks for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! I GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS, OPINIONS, COMMENTS AND I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE THAT REVIEWS, ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE WHO REVIEW EVERY CHAPTER. THANKS SO MUCH!

~Midori^_^

REVIEWS = HAPPY MIDORI = FASTER CHAPTERS!