My Memories of You
Author's Ramblings: I realized something, my fanfics are way too much complicated to be simple one shot pieces... What makes me cry a lot because I really love to write them. *sigh* Done during a sleepless night and after not studying for and exam!
Enjoy!
"Do I really have to go?" Asked Kaoru, wearing her yellow kimono, hair tied up with a large ribbon and holding a small round bag that matched her outfit perfectly. It was amazing how well she could dress up in traditional clothing even when the world out there didn't care much for tradition. Kenshin placed her small bag over one of the empty benches and smiled at her.
"Sure you do; it's the first weekend you can get away from the renovation work. You should enjoy it with your friends, that you should. Besides you are getting married soon and won't visit them as often." He soothed with a soft voice, pulling her into a calm embrace.
"And why is that?" She seemed amused, touching the neckline of his blue polo and looking up at him with innocent eyes.
"Because I'm pretty sure your husband won't let you out of his sight."
"Oh, really?" and she giggled as he leaned and kissed his nose.
"Really, really." And the train arrived.
"But Kenshin, I want to stay with you, I don't wanna go." She was about to throw a tantrum, he knew. Kaoru was a very independent woman, having raised her youngest brother and took care of her oldest (who behaved just like a boy), worked and kept house. She wasn't use to someone taking decisions in her behalf. Kenshin had bought her the ticked, so she could visit Megumi and Tae in Kyoto before they married, and she wasn't too happy about it, even when she had complained of not been able to see Megumi that often. Kenshin kissed her lips softly and pulled into a tight hug, right now avoiding a tantrum would have it benefits.
"By the time you come back the dojo will have brand new floors, the hot water will be running, and we'll be able to have a wonderful wedding under the blooming sakura tree in the garden. That I do promise. Does that make you feel any better?"
"The hot water will be running?"
"And we'll have a beautiful wedding." He said with a smile.
"Don't care about the wedding if we don't have hot water."
"Kaoru!"
She kissed him, softly on the lips. Both their eyes closed and Kenshin held her as the echo of a voice requesting all passenger of the train to Kyoto blurted for their boarding. They pulled apart and quickly moved into the train, Kenshin found her seat and placed her baggage over the seat, turning to leave but not without a little something.
If he had known, Kenshin would have made the moment memorable. He would have probably knelt down and propose to her again, or spin her around, or just sat down and hands linked would have traveled anywhere with her.
Her kiss as he was about to leave her sitting on her comfy train seat, was a little chaste thing, letting a word undiscovered and a promise of something more. It was also her very last kiss. Kenshin waved at Kaoru as the train moved away and for some reason as the train picked up speed she got up and watched him through the clear glass window, waving at him as if desperate for letting Kenshin know she cared. She loved him. Soon she became nothing but a blur of yellow and dark strands of hair.
The train wreck report situated the train wreck at about 10:23, 30 minutes right after he'd left the station. Of course Kenshin had got the news much later, at about 1:45. He'd been fighting the contraption that would provide hot water for their blue and white tile bathroom when Sanosuke, Kaoru's older brother, walked into the large bathroom, pale as a sheet of paper and eyes red. Kenshin had been under the sink to notice the man's pale features.
"Kenshin," He said in a rough voice, raw with emotion. At that moment a spray of hot water escaped the sink and drenched Kenshin who hurried to close the water pipes. The smaller man got up laughing, commenting on how difficult a plumber's work was, and how Kaoru would be laughing at his predicament. Just then did he notice Sano. "Kenshin, there was an accident. Kaoru's train..."
"Accident? What sort of an accident?"
Sano took a second longer than needed to answer. "The fatal sort of accident."
Suddenly the water drenching him wasn't so warm.
Kenshin actually drove to the scene of the accident, and was horrified to see the train was literally in pieces. The back of his mind provided that it was a good thing Yahiko had fallen asleep on the way there, and would not see this... particular scene. Sano was behind Kenshin, equally horrified.
I have to find her. His mind provided. How frighten must she be, how much she must have cried. He needed to find Kaoru. Taking several steps forward, Kenshin crossed the yellow line around the accident, which was pretty long, and was soon stopped by an office. Sano behind yelled for Kenshin to come back, but he wouldn't listen. "Let me go! I have to find her!" He fought the office, actually getting him down and advancing deeper into them mess, Sano following suit to bring him back.
"Kaoru!" He cried, his voice swallowed by the sound of machine drilling to try and get the living out of the mess, and mixing with other shouts. "Kaoru!" Rain started to fall as he moved deeper into the mess, and climbing onto the rails, Kenshin looked at the scene at the other side of the small mountain created by the train rails.
A hellish fire overtook most of the carts, moving from the first passenger's cart down to the third. There were cries for help, cries of emergency rescue teams, paramedics, children, woman, men... Suddenly someone was pulling him back, and Kenshin struggled to move forward. But to what really? Deep down he knew Kaoru was too fragile to have survived.
"Let me go! Sano! She's in there! She's frightened I must find her! Kaoru!" Another tall man got a good hold of Kenshin, who kept struggling. "She needs me! Kaoru!"
"you need to leave, now! Only emergency personnel." Said the taller man, making Kenshin turn to him in utter disbelief. "My wife's there! I have to find her!" It took the strength of the two taller men to bring Kenshin back to his car, and a strong sedative to put him down. Only later, when Kenshin woke up in the emergency room receiving the living and death of the accident did the smaller man learned that Sanosuke had given the other tall man a picture of Kaoru so he could search for her and know where to take her. Kenshin learned the man's name was Aoshi Shinomori, and memorized he was a sergeant of the small police station a few blocks away so he could send a thank you note later.
The next 46 hours were grueling, long, and desperate.
Megumi arrived after having heard the news, and took care of Yahiko. She also made sure both Sanosuke and Kenshin got something to eat, although the second one was more reluctant eat than ever. But as his older sister she forced some food down his throat along with vitamins and water. Lots of water. Several staff member watched over them, knowing their story, and along with other family members they waited. AS injured and lifeless bodies were brought in the room slowly emptied, and when Sargent Shinomori entered only Sano and Kenshin were sitting there. Sano was resting with his arm dropped over the back of the empty chair next to him, a chair away Kenshin, head held against his laced fingers and eyes closed, almost as if in prayer, the redhead was rocking back and forth obviously desperate.
The first to notice him was Kenshin, who stopped rocking and gave him a good look. His eyes watered, almost was if he knew what the man was about to tell him, and then turned away.
"Did you find her?"
"No."
"I put her in the train, she was wearing a yellow kimono and ribbon. You have her picture. Get back there and find her." As a business man Kenshin was used to give orders and have people obey him, so when Aoshi stayed on the doorway he wasn't very please. "Didn't you hear me? Move!" He launched forward, getting up in a tense stance. Sano got ready to get between the two men to avoid any sort of fight, surprised.
Shinomori just shook his head. "We- I found her luggage and handbag, but no trace of her. You must take into consideration how extensive the damage was; We'll have to wait for DNA matched on the..."
"Wha... DNA matches on what?"
"Her body might have suffered extensive damage or burned. We'll have to id the body parts with DNA." Kenshin's movements were so fast not even Sano could have predicted what happened Kenshin got up and pushed against Shinomori's body until the tall sergeant was against the nearest wall, forearm pressed against his neck. Kenshin's eyes burned amber and dangerous.
"She's not dead!" He gritted out with such poison in his voice even Sano gave a step back. "Get out there and find her."
"The search efforts have been called off. There's nothing but clean up teams up there."
"That's what you pull me away for! So I can give up and let her die! She's alive so get out there and find her!" Aoshi struggled against him, and was able to push him off, surprised at the small man's strength. Soon there was a short struggled which ended with Kenshin's chest and face pressed against the nearest wall, arms held back by the tall police officer. "You deny me my wife's burial! Get off of me! Kaoru! Kaoru!" He repeated this several times, and only stopped when he himself slammed his forehead against the wall, wailing. Literally wailing as a lost soul would wail for heaven. The officer let the man slid down to the floor, releasing his arms. Nurses and doctors moved about them, surprised, and those who knew why they were there leaned back and let sorrow take them, some nurses even cried with the news. "You deny me my wife's burial." He let out in a soft sob unable to stop crying. Sano was against the door frame, crying as well but trying to keep together for Kenshin's sake.
Suddenly Megumi was pushing Aoshi away. "Move aside!" She quickly knelt by her brother's side and pulled him from the wall, checking his forehead and cleaning the blood as he tried to curl into a ball on her lap. "Oneesan..." He moaned and sobbed, disappearing against the softness of her cotton blouse.