Disclaimer: Watsuki-sensei (along with Sony, Viz, Shonen Jump, Shueisha, Media Blasters ADV and Fuji TV) owns Kenshin. I'm just borrowing, not profiting. I'm really extremely grateful.
May 14, 1879
Kamiya Dojo
Kaoru's POV
I feel tears stinging my eyes as I help my father pack up for his duty as a sword-bearing policeman in the Seinan War. Dammit, not now. I have to be strong for my father. This is as hard for him as it is for me. A warrior's duty comes before all else. You were raised knowing that this might happen again. But still, wasn't the Bakumatsu enough? It almost broke him and now they want him to fight again.
"Take heart, Princess. I can't promise that I'll come home, but I know that you'll be alright either way. I raised you to be strong and I have absolute faith in your strength," I hear my father's voice say.
"I'll be strong while you're gone. Please be careful, Daddy," I say to him.
My father turns around and looks at me with love shining in his brown eyes. He smiles gently at me and runs his hand over my hair just once.
"You have more than just your mother's eyes. You have her strength and her love. I will fight on with you and your mother's strength and love in my heart. With that, I shall prevail," he says.
Abruptly, he pulls me into a close hug.
"I love you, Princess. Never forget that," he says.
Then he breaks the embrace, picks up his suitcase and heads out the door, through the gate and joins those waiting for him. I watch, unable to move or speak, as my father's back walks off into the darkness. I will never see him alive again.
I plunge into darkness, engulfed in solitude; the cold loneliness gnawing at me like a wolf at the carcass of a deer. It seems to go on for an eternity. Then there's light; a brief time of warmth and happiness spent with a man with hair the color of the setting sun and eyes of the deepest, darkest violet. His voice is soft and gentle, his presence sad, yet comforting.
We meet new and dear friends who become a new family and share many adventures together. Then the cold dread re-enters my heart. I'm standing in a world of darkness, lit only by fireflies, wondering where he is. Then I hear his soft voice behind me.
"The fireflies are lovely this evening," he says in his soft, sad voice.
I turn around and see him standing in the fireflies' dim light, sorrow weighing his features down.
"Governor Okubo was killed this morning," he says quietly.
"Yes, we heard," is all I can think of to say.
"Shishio and his men are the real killers. They can't be allowed to run lose. This worthless one is off to Kyoto," I hear him say as I feel the ground open up under me.
"Will you assassinate Shishio Makoto then?" I ask tremulously.
"No... Perhaps. If this worthless one can remain rurouni, it will be enough to meet and speak with him, defeat him if need be. But if oneself is lost as in the battle against Saitou... During the time spent here my heart was at peace, it seemed that life as a normal swordsman was possible. But as was shown in the battle against Saitou, deep within this worthless one's heart there can be no doubt, the hitokiri still lives."
"But you can turn back. However close you get to Battousai, Kenshin is still Kenshin. It was the same during the fight with Jinei as it was with Saitou. You'll be fine," I say, anything to keep him from doing this.
"This is different. With Jinei, Battousai emerged to save you and retreated once your voice was heard, but with Saitou, Battousai emerged just to fight him. Your voice didn't reach. So this is different," he says, boring into me with sad violet eyes. "When we first met, you understood even after finding out about Hitokiri Battousai. 'I don't care about people's pasts,' you said. It was an amazing thing. But to the government, to Shishio and his men, to everyone else in this country who hated Hitokiri Battousai, this worthless one is only he."
Suddenly, I feel his arms around me and his warmth near me as he pulls me into a paralyzing embrace. It's all I can do to breathe.
"Thank you for everything, and farewell. This one is Rurouni. Once again this one will drift," I hear his voice echo in my head.
He breaks the embrace and turns and walks into the night, just as my father had walked away eight months before. I never saw my father again and I know that I will never see Kenshin again. My soul shatters into a thousand pieces and all I can do is weep.
"Farewell."
"Farewell."
My eyes flew open, my heart thundering in my chest.
"Farewell."
Kenshin's voice continued to echo in my mind. I could feel the dampness of my tears on my face.
I looked at the calendar and saw the date, May 14, 1879. One year ago today, Kenshin said "farewell" to me and departed to Kyoto for the death match with Shishio Makoto.
It was then that I realized that my husband-to-be wasn't in bed next to me like he should have been.
'Where is he?!' my mind cried out.
I jumped to my feet, stopping only to don a haori over my yukata. I tore the shouji open and listened for any sign of him in the living area or kitchen.
Silence, not even the slightest aroma of breakfast.
Panic mounting, I opened the fusuma that led into the backyard.
Silence here too. Not so much as an animal stirred. The sakura tree was dropping the last of its pretty pink petals and the flowers were out in their full morning glory. But it was so still. The silence was deafening. It was as if my nightmare were coming true. Where was he? Kenshin never went anywhere this early anymore and he never left the dojo without telling me. Could he have left to wander again?
My rational mind knew he wouldn't do such a thing, especially since we were to be married today.,but the scared little girl inside of me was in control. I turned to go back into the bedroom to check if he had packed his things to wander again.
The sound of the back gate opening caught my attention and I turned around, laying eyes on my missing redhead as he came in with a fishing pole slung over his shoulder and a bucket of fish he'd caught. He looked up and seemed startled to see me standing there waiting for him.
Normal POV
"Oro?" said Kenshin, seeing Kaoru standing outside in only her yukata and haori.
"KENSHIN, YOU IDIOT, WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!" yelled Kaoru, brandishing the bokken she'd pulled out of thin air.
Kenshin dodged her swing and caught the bokken easily. Facing his irate fiance with the confidence borne of a year living with her, he held up the bucket of fish.
"I thought I would surprise you by catching some fish today. Were you worried because I was gone when you woke up?" he asked.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK, MORON?!" Kaoru roared, trying to pull the bokken out of Kenshin's grasp.
"I wanted to surprise you, so I left without waking you. I never dreamed you would wake up so early. I'm sorry if I frightened you," said Kenshin softly.
Kaoru's quick anger was gone, she let the bokken drop and threw herself at Kenshin, nearly knocking them both over. She clung to him and cried.
"I dreamed of last year. And you weren't here when I woke up," she whispered.
"Today, I will make a vow to love you and stay by your side forever. Have you ever known me to break a vow?" asked Kenshin, cupping Kaoru's chin in his free hand.
"N-no," said Kaoru, starting to feel very foolish.
"I know I hurt you when I left for Kyoto. If I could take away the pain, I would. But understand this, I will not leave you ever again," Kenshin continued, touching his forehead to Kaoru's.
"I believe you," said Kaoru, melting into her rurouni.
The two stayed that way for a few minutes, stopping only when the urge to breathe became too strong.
"Now, why don't you get dressed and we can eat these outside?" said Kenshin, nudging Kaoru back to the house.
"That sounds great," said Kaoru, happiness and confidence restored.
After Kaoru was dressed, she came back out and helped Kenshin cook the fish over the wok. When the fish were cooked, the pair sat on the engawa and ate them. Kaoru loved the way Kenshin could get the fish to taste. No one else had his unique gift for taking a meat with basically no flavor and making it something the tongue screamed for contact with.
After they'd eaten, Kaoru lay back in Kenshin's strong embrace and the two of them watched the clouds form different patterns in the sky. Kaoru pointed to a puffy little cloud.
"That one looks like a dog," she said.
"I see him, with floppy ears and stub tale. That one looks like a cow," said Kenshin, pointing to another one.
Kaoru saw another cloud that was long and coiling, like a serpent. As it shifted, it seemed to grow wings. Her eyes lit and she pointed it out to Kenshin.
"A dragon," she said in a whisper.
"I see him. Look at the one beside him. A rolly-polly raccoon," said Kenshin, pointing to a fat little cloud next to the dragon that did indeed bear a resemblance to the racoon-dog.
"Take back the rolly-polly part," warned Kaoru.
"Alright, just a cute little raccoon," said Kenshin. "Looks to me like the dragon and the raccoon like each other."
"More than like. The raccoon knows the dragon will always love and protect and be there for her no matter what may happen, or how mean she is to him at times," said Kaoru.
"The dragon knows that the raccoon loves him despite what he may have done in the past and will always be by his side to comfort him in his times of trial," said Kenshin.
"The raccoon is very lucky," said Kaoru, turning to her gaze to Kenshin's.
"Not as lucky as the dragon," said Kenshin, his gaze locking with Kaoru's as their lips completed the bond.
In the sky, the cloud raccoon and dragon melted into each other until they were one.