"Huff…… huff…. huff…. huff….." the heavy breathings were an unusual
addition to the night sounds of the woods. It came from three shadowy
figures moving swiftly to the very heart of the forest. The moon was bright
and the sky is clear showing thousands of twinkling stars. "Good," Sanosuke
thought, "the light offered by the heavens will work to our advantage."
*****************************************************************
"I don't think they heard Dr. Gensai" Tsubame said, worried as she watched Sanosuke, Yoshi and Misao scramble to the house to prepare for a journey to find the three herbs needed to make the medicine for Kaoru's cure, while Kenshin quickly went to say goodbye to Kaoru. Tsubame could feel hot tears burning her cheeks. She did not understand what the point of this journey was.
"My shaman friend said he might be able to cure her, but the medicine should be given within three days of the onset of the illness. If not, the patient will die in a week!" These were Dr. Gensai's words, spoken but a moment ago, and Tsubame remembers them clearly. "But why?" Tsubame asked. "Why do they travel still…why…" Her voice faded and she could not bring herself to talk anymore.
Tae looked at Tsubame and felt an overwhelming pity for her young friend. Tae went to her and held her close. "You are young Tsubame, and yet you have been through so many loses yourself. I can understand the hurt, and fear you might feel now." Tae said soothingly and gently stroking the girl's hair. "I also know that today is the third day Kaoru has been sick. But Kaoru is not gone. She is still alive and breathing, and I know she is fighting hard to remain with us. That's why this journey has to be traveled, because no matter how small the chances, no matter how impossible it may seem, our friends will go to the ends of the earth to find the cure. And all they need, is a glimmer of hope. As long as it's there…..that's all they really need."
"That's right!" Tsubame said more calmly. "Kaoru has always been so strong, and so hopeful." She took a deep, long breath then said with much resolve, "Now, we are the ones who must be strong, and hopeful….for her!"
As the four gathered and was about to leave, Megumi asked that one of them should stay, lest they needed a fast runner to send to town. Yahiko's shoulder slumped for he knew he had to be the one, but Misao placed a hand on his shoulder and to Yahiko's, and everyone else's surprise, said "I will stay. Yahiko, do your best!" "Why…Misao…why?" Yahiko asked, bewildered and at the same time reaching a depth of respect he never thought he had for Misao. "Because you need to do this….I think, more than I do, and because I love Kaoru as much as you do!" Misao said. "Now go, you have little time left!"
Megumi smiled inwardly as she heard Tsubame's speech earlier, and now Misao's, and thought to herself, "Ah Kaoru, even as you lay unconscious you still deeply affect the people around you. You truly are exceptional, that's why you must hang in there. They need you still….and so do I."
**********************************************************************
The three men stopped by a big tree. Not to rest, no, for they know they are pressed for time. Every second is precious, the longer they take, the less chances Kaoru has of getting better. They huddled around and Kenshin spoke. "We will get the herbs faster if we split up." The other two nodded their agreement and each one took a piece of paper with a drawing of the precious herb on it. "We will meet back here in two hours. We have to be home by the fourth day." Kenshin said his voice, and his eyes, full of determination.
"Kenshin, Sano……" Yahiko said as they were about to leave. The two men faced the young boy. No words were necessary, Yahiko's teary eyes said everything, and both men understood. "We all love her, and we WILL save her" his eyes said, and the three shared an eventful embrace that they will remember for the rest of their days, before they went their separate ways.
*********************************************************************
"What is your name?" Kaoru asked the beautiful lady beside her. But, she just smiled and asked Kaoru instead, "Do you like this place?" "I love it!" Kaoru said. "It's so beautiful, and peaceful and I feel like my soul is so free here."
The woman smiled again, took Kaoru's hand, and led her to the top of the hill. What Kaoru saw there was not what she had expected at all! Just a few feet from where they were standing at was a fierce blizzard! "How could this be" Kauro exclaimed. "That I am standing under the sun and a bright, blue sky and yet I see a blizzard right in front of me!?!"
"This is where you must make your choice on whether to stay here or not. Through that blizzard is a path that would take you back to where you came from. It is a treacherous path, long and dangerous, because if you get lost, you will be stuck there forever." The woman looked at Kaoru seriously this time, and asked, "Do you have a strong reason to go back? Because if you do not, you should not go there at all."
*********************************************************************
Kenshin headed fast to the tree where they agreed to meet, the herb in his injured hand. When he found the herb, it was guarded by a pack of wild hounds. He fought them off, but not before he got a few bruises and scratches. But he didn't mind them at all, he would die for Kaoru, "I would die WITHOUT Kaoru," he thought.
Suddenly, the legendary hitokiri stopped dead in his tracks. He felt Kaoru…..and she was slipping away. "No!" he whispered as he fell to his knees. "Kaoru….. Kaoru…. hang on….please! I need you, I love you…..Kaoru…." and Kenshin Himura, the greatest swordsman that ever lived, wept for the woman he loved.
**********************************************************************
"A strong reason to go back, huh?" Kaoru thought. "I can't remember who, or what, or where I'm supposed to go back to. But still, why does my heart ache to go through that blizzard?" She looked back at the paradise she had come from and she was drawn to it too, as much as she was drawn to this wonderful woman who led her here. She doesn't know her name but Kaoru felt like she knew her heart and she trusted her. "If I must choose, then I think….." Kaoru glanced at the blizzard, "I think…..I will stay here" Kaoru thought, and turned to tell the woman her decision.
But as she did, Kaoru felt a droplet on her palm. "Funny," she thought as she looked at it. "It's not raining here at all!" Another droplet, then another, then another….. And for the briefest moment, Kaoru heard it. A voice, full of love and anguish at the same time, calling her name. She looked at her hand as the tiny droplets continued to fall and felt her eyes water when she realized they were teardrops. "Oh my God," she whispered, suddenly remembering. "Oh my God………..Kenshin!!!!!"
to be continued………(c",)
*****************************************************************
"I don't think they heard Dr. Gensai" Tsubame said, worried as she watched Sanosuke, Yoshi and Misao scramble to the house to prepare for a journey to find the three herbs needed to make the medicine for Kaoru's cure, while Kenshin quickly went to say goodbye to Kaoru. Tsubame could feel hot tears burning her cheeks. She did not understand what the point of this journey was.
"My shaman friend said he might be able to cure her, but the medicine should be given within three days of the onset of the illness. If not, the patient will die in a week!" These were Dr. Gensai's words, spoken but a moment ago, and Tsubame remembers them clearly. "But why?" Tsubame asked. "Why do they travel still…why…" Her voice faded and she could not bring herself to talk anymore.
Tae looked at Tsubame and felt an overwhelming pity for her young friend. Tae went to her and held her close. "You are young Tsubame, and yet you have been through so many loses yourself. I can understand the hurt, and fear you might feel now." Tae said soothingly and gently stroking the girl's hair. "I also know that today is the third day Kaoru has been sick. But Kaoru is not gone. She is still alive and breathing, and I know she is fighting hard to remain with us. That's why this journey has to be traveled, because no matter how small the chances, no matter how impossible it may seem, our friends will go to the ends of the earth to find the cure. And all they need, is a glimmer of hope. As long as it's there…..that's all they really need."
"That's right!" Tsubame said more calmly. "Kaoru has always been so strong, and so hopeful." She took a deep, long breath then said with much resolve, "Now, we are the ones who must be strong, and hopeful….for her!"
As the four gathered and was about to leave, Megumi asked that one of them should stay, lest they needed a fast runner to send to town. Yahiko's shoulder slumped for he knew he had to be the one, but Misao placed a hand on his shoulder and to Yahiko's, and everyone else's surprise, said "I will stay. Yahiko, do your best!" "Why…Misao…why?" Yahiko asked, bewildered and at the same time reaching a depth of respect he never thought he had for Misao. "Because you need to do this….I think, more than I do, and because I love Kaoru as much as you do!" Misao said. "Now go, you have little time left!"
Megumi smiled inwardly as she heard Tsubame's speech earlier, and now Misao's, and thought to herself, "Ah Kaoru, even as you lay unconscious you still deeply affect the people around you. You truly are exceptional, that's why you must hang in there. They need you still….and so do I."
**********************************************************************
The three men stopped by a big tree. Not to rest, no, for they know they are pressed for time. Every second is precious, the longer they take, the less chances Kaoru has of getting better. They huddled around and Kenshin spoke. "We will get the herbs faster if we split up." The other two nodded their agreement and each one took a piece of paper with a drawing of the precious herb on it. "We will meet back here in two hours. We have to be home by the fourth day." Kenshin said his voice, and his eyes, full of determination.
"Kenshin, Sano……" Yahiko said as they were about to leave. The two men faced the young boy. No words were necessary, Yahiko's teary eyes said everything, and both men understood. "We all love her, and we WILL save her" his eyes said, and the three shared an eventful embrace that they will remember for the rest of their days, before they went their separate ways.
*********************************************************************
"What is your name?" Kaoru asked the beautiful lady beside her. But, she just smiled and asked Kaoru instead, "Do you like this place?" "I love it!" Kaoru said. "It's so beautiful, and peaceful and I feel like my soul is so free here."
The woman smiled again, took Kaoru's hand, and led her to the top of the hill. What Kaoru saw there was not what she had expected at all! Just a few feet from where they were standing at was a fierce blizzard! "How could this be" Kauro exclaimed. "That I am standing under the sun and a bright, blue sky and yet I see a blizzard right in front of me!?!"
"This is where you must make your choice on whether to stay here or not. Through that blizzard is a path that would take you back to where you came from. It is a treacherous path, long and dangerous, because if you get lost, you will be stuck there forever." The woman looked at Kaoru seriously this time, and asked, "Do you have a strong reason to go back? Because if you do not, you should not go there at all."
*********************************************************************
Kenshin headed fast to the tree where they agreed to meet, the herb in his injured hand. When he found the herb, it was guarded by a pack of wild hounds. He fought them off, but not before he got a few bruises and scratches. But he didn't mind them at all, he would die for Kaoru, "I would die WITHOUT Kaoru," he thought.
Suddenly, the legendary hitokiri stopped dead in his tracks. He felt Kaoru…..and she was slipping away. "No!" he whispered as he fell to his knees. "Kaoru….. Kaoru…. hang on….please! I need you, I love you…..Kaoru…." and Kenshin Himura, the greatest swordsman that ever lived, wept for the woman he loved.
**********************************************************************
"A strong reason to go back, huh?" Kaoru thought. "I can't remember who, or what, or where I'm supposed to go back to. But still, why does my heart ache to go through that blizzard?" She looked back at the paradise she had come from and she was drawn to it too, as much as she was drawn to this wonderful woman who led her here. She doesn't know her name but Kaoru felt like she knew her heart and she trusted her. "If I must choose, then I think….." Kaoru glanced at the blizzard, "I think…..I will stay here" Kaoru thought, and turned to tell the woman her decision.
But as she did, Kaoru felt a droplet on her palm. "Funny," she thought as she looked at it. "It's not raining here at all!" Another droplet, then another, then another….. And for the briefest moment, Kaoru heard it. A voice, full of love and anguish at the same time, calling her name. She looked at her hand as the tiny droplets continued to fall and felt her eyes water when she realized they were teardrops. "Oh my God," she whispered, suddenly remembering. "Oh my God………..Kenshin!!!!!"
to be continued………(c",)
