Forever

It seemed like such a short time to him. Time was a thing that went by fast for him. It had always seemed that way. When kenshin had left his master. Then he met Tomoe.
After her death, he fought until the end, then left. For ten years he wandered the country. Then he ended up living in Tokyo in The Kamiya Dojo. Now, he was married to Kaoru, had a son, and could no longer use his Hiten-style. His body was being woren out. Hee could still do the basic sword technicques. However, he could no longer move his body like he once could. The last time actually having to use his style so harshly had been in the battle with Enishi. It seemed as though it were just the other day.
He had called Yahiko to the dojo today. It was the boys fifteenth birthday today. His Genpuki. Yahiko was turning out to be a wondeful swordsman. He had Sanosuke's laid back, lazy attitude. But he fights to protect those around him. It was about time he held his own.
It was then that the ex-hitokiri looked down to the sword on his side. Soon it would no longer be there. Pulling the sword from his belt, he now held it by the sheath in the palm of his hand. It seemed like it was just the other day that he had recived his first sakabato. The one that had been given to him when he left the revolution had been broken in Kyoto. And yet, this newer one that was given to him shortly after he broke the first one, still held the weight of all his fights. All the people he had protected.
It was then, that he stopped. Stopped moving. Stopped breathing. All his memories came back to him. From the day he left the revolution, until. He had sworn to protect people as a rurouni, vowing never to spill blood again. For once, he looked at the sword in his hand, and all the lives he had protected came rushing into his mind.
Over the years he had fought so many battles, each one increasingly tougher than the last. His blood had stained blades and hands. But the past ten years, he willingly gave that blood to those he thought deserved happiness. To those he though needed it.
Kenshin Himura gazed down at his sakabato, and a smile crossed his lips. He had seen and met so many. He had heard and spoke to so many. He had fought for so many.
And the more Kenshin thought about it, the more slower time seemed. Suddenly. Everything felt longer, everything felt slowy. Suddenly, Kenshin felt his age, and suddenly he realized just how long it had actually been. Once he had spent years killing for the new era. but he had spent many more protecting. His life with the sakabato had been a long one. And, overall, a wondeful, beatiful one. Slowly, Kenshin slide the sword back onto his waist. He then turned his head up, and looked at the sky. A wide smile covered his face. Life was so slow. But still, it kept on moving.
"Kenshin! Yahiko is here!" He heard his wife's voice from the other room. It was goodbye this time for the sakabato. But not forever. Because Kenshin Himura had forever,