Rurouni Kenshin - "That Which Lingers" (Parts 9-11) by Madamhydra
This story is set in my own ALTERNATE REALITY universe which I've called "The Nightwitch Tales" -- think of it as Rurouni Kenshin mixed with various supernatural and paranormal elements. Other stories in this alternate reality are: "Night Visitor"; "All in the Family"; "Romancing the Wolf"
WARNING: This story is "semi-dark" -- it has dark elements
(violence, profanity, etc.) but it's not a darkfic! Actually, there's
quite a bit of romance in it.... ^_-
This story takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc. After that, it takes a sharp left turn into its own world. Elements of the Revenge story arc show up later on in the story. The Kenshin Gumi already know that Saitoh survived the destruction of Shishio's stronghold.
As always, C&C is greatly appreciated! ^_^
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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Part 9: REGRESSION
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Disclaimer
All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit. Original portion of the fiction included here is considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author.
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Text Conventions
( ) are character thoughts
/ / and // // represent various sorts of mental dialogue
* ----- * ----- * marks the start/end of dreams or flashbacks
[ ] denote visual or time notes
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[the present, Meiji 11, Tokyo, late summer]
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Sano gaped at Yahiko. "Your... father!?"
The boy nodded silently as he continued to stare at the corpse that was no longer there... or perhaps it had never really been there to begin with.
"But... I mean... how can you possibly know what your father looked like? You were just a baby when Kenshin was... in Kyoto."
In a dull voice, Yahiko said, "My mother used to draw pictures of my father for me. She had a gift for that sort of thing... but being an artist didn't pay enough to fed both herself and a child... so she took up work as a... pleasure woman."
After a long silence, Sano said very quietly, "So... what are you going to do about it?"
Yahiko laughed bitterly. "What can I do? Tell Kenshin?"
"I suppose you could...."
His shoulders shook as he said angrily, "My father's been dead for over 10 years! Nothing's going to bring him back. And... he died honorably, fighting for what he thought was right... just like Kenshin did. Besides... we don't even know if any of this is real! Who the hell knows what's going on!? And I can't go up to Kenshin and just ask him if he really killed my father!"
"Why not?"
Yahiko glared at him. "Come on, Sano! How did you think the Battousai got his reputation? How many people do you think he killed in Kyoto? A hundred? Two hundred? More than that!? How could he possibly know all their names? Do you think he'd remember all those faces!?"
Sano thought, (I don't know. Maybe HE would....)
The boy stared at the shinai dangling loosely in his hands and whispered, "I was just a baby when my father died. Kenshin... Kenshin's been more of a father to me than a man I know only from my mother's stories and pictures. I don't want... I don't want to lose that over something that might be just some big fat lie!"
"You think someone might be jerking us around?" Sano's thought drifted back to last night's dream. If it WAS a trick, it seemed pretty pointless. He hated Saitoh's guts already. That dream didn't change things for him... well, not much.
(I know that Saitoh's one hell of a cold-blooded killer -- he probably enjoys it! -- but mercilessly tracking down and slaughtering a helpless woman... that was entirely different from killing a man who can fight back.) Sano gave Yahiko a speculative look. (Do you really think it's a trick... or are you desperate to believe it didn't happen?)
Yahiko slowly got to his feet. He mumbled, "I guess we should get back."
Sano reached out and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Are you going to tell Kenshin and the others anything?"
"....I guess so. It could be important. But Sano...."
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell Kenshin about... the stuff about my father, okay?"
"....Sure."
As they trudged back to the clinic, Yahiko thought about one of the very few personal items he had managed to keep over the last several years as an orphan. It was lying back in his room at the Kamiya dojo and wasn't much... just a single sheet of paper....
....his mother's last and best picture of his father.
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Although Aoshi spoke with a perfectly straight face, Kenshin thought he caught a definite undercurrent of... wry humor?... in his voice.
(I don't know what happened to him, but somehow... it's like something's come to life inside him.)
Misao gave Aoshi a wide-eyed stare. He looked rather pale and she could see faint but definite signs of pain around the eyes and the mouth. However, he seemed to be fairly good shape, all things considered. She reached out and put her hand on his forehead.
(He's not feverish, thank goodness!)
Aoshi's eyes widened slightly as he caught of glimpse of Kenshin's hair, but all he said was, "What's going on?"
Kenshin replied as he gazed worriedly at Kaoru. "Saitoh brought up the possibility that the black sword was poisoned."
Kaoru added in tired voice, "She got... a little scared."
Slowly turning red with acute embarrassment, Misao slid off of Aoshi and sat on the edge of his bed. "Okay... I admit it. I overreacted a bit."
Tokio murmured, "I really don't think the sword's poisoned. As you can see for yourself, Shinomori-san is recovering quite nicely."
Misao glared at Saitoh and yelled, "You... you bastard! You DELIBERATELY said that just to make me panic, didn't you!?"
He looked bored. "Don't flatter yourself, girl. It was a perfectly valid possibility."
"You... YOU...!!!" She tensed as if ready to pounce on the policeman.
Kenshin quickly stepped in front of Misao and said, "Maa maa! Take it easy." He knew that Saitoh would not hesitate to hit and possibly hurt Misao if she tried to attack him. And if that happened, Aoshi would most likely get involved....
(Poor girl. Misao's always been excitable, but with all the things happening since yesterday -- especially her nearly fatal attack Aoshi -- it's no wonder her emotions are running a bit wild. And Saitoh certainly isn't helping matters.)
The faintly malicious smile on Saitoh's face told Kenshin that the policeman was enjoying the little sideshow immensely.
A low groan from the neighboring bed broke the tension. They all turned to see Megumi sitting up and rubbing the back of her head.
"Owwww...."
Kenshin quickly walked over and said, "Megumi-dono, how are you feeling?"
"What... what happened? I've got such a headache.... Oh, no. Don't tell me I drank too much sake!"
As Kaoru chuckled, Saitoh approached Megumi's bed and gave her a cold, malevolent stare. "I suppose you don't remember a thing about trying to skewer my wife, hm?"
"Eh!?"
"How convenient," Saitoh drawled.
"Megumi-dono, what's the last thing you remember?"
"Hmmm. I went to check on Shinomori.... That's about it. What happened?"
Kenshin sighed quietly. "Do you remember that black katana that Misao used to attack Aoshi?" When she nodded slowly, he said, "Well, you tried your best to use it to kill Tokio-dono."
"I WHAT!? That's... that's impossible! I may know how to handle a scalpel and a kitchen knife, but what do I know about swords!?" But even as she said this, Megumi eyed Saitoh nervously. Something told her that he was not about the matter slide so quite so easily.
Saitoh murmured in venomous tones, "At the most basic level, there's not that much to know. A sword has a sharp edge and a sharp tip, just like a knife or scalpel. I'm sure it wasn't hard for an intelligent woman like yourself to figure out the rest."
Kenshin said sharply, "But this situation was very much different, as you well know, Saitoh." Turning back to Megumi, he quietly said, "It seems what happened to Misao also happened to you. When you picked up that sword, your behavior changed radically and you tried to kill the first person you saw."
Tokio murmured, "That's not entirely correct, Kenshin-san. I don't think I was her true intended victim. You see, just before she attacked me, Megumi said that she couldn't decide who should be first... Sano or you."
"Then... then Misao was... right? That sword's cursed?" the doctor whispered.
Kenshin nodded slowly. "Superstitious as it may sound, there appears to be something about that blade which drives people to murder."
"The preferred target appears to be people with close emotional relationships to the sword's user. But it seems that anyone nearby will do." The policeman eyed the securely wrapped bundle slung over Kenshin's shoulder. "Call it a curse if you like, but whatever it is, it seems to be the only explanation why Mr. Honami murdered his entire family for no apparent reason. And it probably explains this whole series of murders that have occurred in Tokyo recently."
"You think that this sword is the common link?" whispered Misao. "I can see how someone who's been... possessed... might slaughter his whole family... but you said yourself that the different murdered families weren't connected to each other in any way."
"Moron, what does that have to do with it?" Saitoh gave the girl a contemptuous stare.
Kaoru coughed and said, "Misao, there's something about the sword that... that seems to attract people. All you have to do is see it and you...."
"....you get this crazy impulse to pick it up," the ninja girl whispered softly. "So that's it.... After a cluster of murders, the sword somehow gets dropped or lost, then the next passerby...."
"The next person who sees it can't resist picking it up. And the cycle repeats itself," said the red-haired swordsman.
"That's... that's HIDEOUS! It's like some sort of a plague!"
Kenshin murmured, "A plague of madness...."
Aoshi quietly added, "That's not the worst of it. Not only does it drive its victim into a homicidal rage, it also gives the user both the skill and physical ability to kill with deadly efficiency." He glanced at Misao. "When you attacked me, you were fast... nearly as fast at Himura-san and perhaps even stronger. You're hurting, aren't you?"
Misao blinked. "Yes. I'm really, really sore all over."
Kenshin nodded in agreement and said, "Probably because you... or rather, the sword was forcing your body well beyond its normal physical limits. Thankfully, you're young and in superb physical shape, Misao. Otherwise, you could have torn your own body apart or burst your heart from all that exertion."
Megumi whispered, "Is that why I feel so exhausted?"
"Yes, Megumi-dono. Unlike Misao, who's been training continuously since she was quite young, you aren't in such good physical condition. Fortunately, you weren't fighting nearly as long as she was."
"Himura, what are we going to do!?" the ninja girl said anxiously.
Saitoh calmly said, "The preferred option is to destroy the sword. If that's not feasible, it may be necessary to find a secure place to hide it."
Misao gave the policeman an intensely suspicious stare. "I don't get this. I'd think that you, of all people, wouldn't believe in superstitious stuff like curses and possession!"
"That's basically irrelevant. I deal with facts and the fact is that the sword Himura's carting around has already driven you, the fox-lady, and most likely Mr. Homani to mass murder or attempted murder. You may be incredibly stupid, temperamental, and scatterbrained, but you're not a raving killer."
"I'm WHAT!?" she shrieked. Fortunately, Aoshi managed to grab a hold of Misao before she managed to jump off the bed in an attempt to attack Saitoh.
The front door to the clinic slid open as Sano and Yahiko stumbled in. They both looked very grim and very upset.
Kenshin worriedly said, "What happened to you?" He cocked his head slightly as he noticed Yahiko giving him an intense, searching stare. "Yahiko? Are you all right?"
He reached out to touch the boy's shoulder. Yahiko flinched slightly, then relaxed.
Misao said, "You guys look like you've seen a ghost!"
"Maybe we did...," mumbled Sano.
"Huh?"
Sano glanced at Yahiko. After the boy slowly nodded, Sano told them exactly what happened on the way back from the dojo. As he promised, the only thing the fighter left out was the identity of the dead squad leader. He finished up by saying, "One minute, there's all these bodies lying in the street. The next second... poof! Not a trace."
Kenshin was looking very somber himself. "You... saw me?"
Yahiko felt Kenshin begin to withdraw within himself as he started to lift his hand off the boy's shoulder. Yohiko suddenly reached up with his own hand to keep Kenshin's hand where it was. The swordsman stared at him in confusion, but the boy refused to meet those haunted violet eyes.
Kaoru protested, "It can't be Kenshin! He never left the clinic for a moment!"
Sano looked his friend straight in the eye. "Listen, Jo-chan. I'm not saying that Kenshin was actually there. But I know what I saw. You couldn't mistake the hair or the scars. It was you, Kenshin... or to be precise, it was the Hitokiri Battousai." He caught Misao and Aoshi exchanging looks.
Misao quietly said, "Himura... you asked me earlier how I knew you wore your hair up in Kyoto, right?"
There was a long pause, then Kenshin very quietly said, "Yes?"
The ninja girl fiddled nervously with the end of her braid. "Last night... I dreamed I was in Kyoto back then... during the Bakamatsu no Douran. I saw the Battousai fighting a squad of Shinsengumi."
As Kenshin's violet eyes widened in shock, Kaoru struggled to sit up. She said, "Misao, are you SURE? I mean... you were dreaming, right?"
Aoshi quietly said, "Quite sure. I had nearly the exact same dream." He glanced at Megumi. "And Dr. Takani was in my dream too, if only for a moment."
Megumi gasped as she abruptly recalled her semi-nightmares of the previous night. "You saw me? I remember now.... I ran into you."
"And you ran away."
Misao stared at Aoshi. "You... you mean you had the same dream as I did? The EXACT same dream? Then... then the things I told you... and you told me...."
Aoshi calmly cut her off by saying, "I remember everything we discussed, Misao... everything."
The ninja girl inexplicably began to blush all over. "Aoshi-sama...."
Saitoh drawled, "This is all very interesting. But there's more important matters to deal with...."
Sano suddenly said, "Saitoh, have you ever killed a woman?"
"Why would you ask such a stupid question like that?"
"Just give me a straight answer, damn it!"
With his hand still on Yahiko's shoulder, Kenshin said softly, "Sano...."
The policemen stared down at the fighter. In a cynical voice, he said, "You're a naive fool if you think that greed, corruption, and evil are the sole providence of men. And it is the unexpected or unsuspected persons who often do the most damage."
As Sano gave him a blatantly skeptical stare, Saitoh gave him an evil little smile and said, "Just ask Himura Battousai. He knows that from first-hand experience."
All eyes turned to Kenshin who slowly removed his hand from Yahiko's shoulder. He stared at Saitoh with no particular expression as his other hand casually came to rest on the hilt of his sakabatou.
Sano sharply said, "I'm not asking Kenshin. I'm asking YOU."
"And I gave you an answer, you fool."
Kenshin thought, (Yes, Sano. He answered your question. Can you understand? Back then, it didn't matter who it was... man or woman... adult or child... if anyone interfered with what we perceived to be our duty... they died. For Saitoh, that duty was 'Aku Soku Zan'... 'Kill Evil Instantly'. For myself, it was defending the lives of the members of the Ishin Shishi by whatever means necessary.)
Sano stared at the two men standing in front of him. Saitoh, the relentless hunter with the cold, amber eyes... Kenshin, the resolute protector with warm, violet eyes still haunted by past darkness....
(There will never be men like that again....)
Tokio said, "I hope you won't mind waiting a little bit longer for your food. Megumi and I are going to check on Shinomori-san's and Kaoru's injuries. As soon as that's done, I'll cook lunch for everyone."
Megumi managed to get out of bed without too much trouble and said, "I'm sure you've done an excellent job of taking care of them, Tokio-san, while I was... was...."
Tokio gave the doctor's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Whatever happened had nothing to do with you. It wasn't your fault."
The others left the wardroom, leaving Tokio and Megumi to quietly confer over Kaoru. As they waited in the main room of the clinic, Yahiko and Misao wrestled with their own private thoughts. Saitoh lurked in the background, but said nothing as Kenshin took the opportunity to tell Sano about Megumi's recovery, the various dreams about Kyoto, and finally their theories about the black sword.
"What's the big deal? How hard can it be to get rid of that damned sword? Or hide it so no one will find it again?" complained Sano.
Saitoh glanced at Kenshin. "Do you want to tell the chicken-brain or shall I?"
"Saitoh...." growled Sano.
Kenshin said, "It may be too late for such an easy solution."
"What?"
"We were recognized."
The fighter growled, "I still don't get it!" Saitoh snorted audibly.
"Sano, when we were confronting Megumi last night, do you remember what she said?"
"Uh... I wasn't really paying that much attention...."
"She said, 'Battousai... and Saitoh.... Both of you... I've found you, at last!'"
"You mean... somehow you think this curse has somehow latched itself onto you. You and Saitoh?"
"It's a possibility. All these dreams of Kyoto -- during both night and day, sleeping and awake -- they only started after that fight with Megumi... after we were recognized and named."
"Oh shit...." Sano groaned. "But... how about you guys? Did either you have strange dreams last night?"
Kenshin said, "I didn't... at least, none that I remember."
Saitoh made a careless negative gesture.
"Man, this gets weirder and weirder."
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When Tokio finally reemerged from the wardroom, Misao and Sano barraged her with questions about Kaoru and Aoshi. Kenshin was much too polite to join in, but he was obviously worried about Kaoru's condition. Saitoh's wife serenely waited for the storm to subside before replying.
"Misao, Aoshi seems to be improving steadily. All he really needs is rest." She turned to Kenshin. "Megumi took a look at Kaoru's injury. The cut's healing very well and there aren't any signs of infection."
Kenshin stared at her. "Then why is she so weak? If her wound isn't infected and if there doesn't appear to be anything like poison on that sword, what's wrong...."
Tokio gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I just don't know. She's physically exhausted. It's like something's wearing her down."
As she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, Kenshin followed her. "Tokio-dono, we all greatly appreciate your help, especially with so many of us being injured... but perhaps it would be best for you to go home. I don't want to get you any further involved in this trouble. Besides, what about Eiji? I saw him running out of the clinic yesterday afternoon."
Tokio calmly drained the greens and started slicing them briskly. "Please don't worry about Eiji. He's very independent for his age and my maid can take care of his meals for several days. And if you will pardon me for saying so, I think it would be best if I stayed away from Eiji until this matter is settled."
"Don't concern yourself with my wife, Battousai. Worry about your own woman," Saitoh said as he walked into the kitchen.
"She could be in danger if she stays, Saitoh!"
The policeman shrugged. "Tokio knows the risks. If she wants to stay, she stays."
She gave Kenshin a warm smile. "Besides, Kenshin-san, I would feel very badly about deserting Kaoru, Megumi, and the others at the moment. Don't worry about me. You just concentrate on whatever needs to be done."
As he watched Tokio cooking with the same serene competence that she displayed in everything she did, Kenshin thought, (Yes, she understands the risks and her husband all too well. Tokio's fully prepared to allow her husband to do whatever he feels is necessary, regardless of the cost to her... death, if need be. She refuses to be a liability to him.)
(But she's not the sort of woman to sit by helplessly and let things happen to her, either. Her husband trusts her to take care of herself. She will not fail that trust. Saitoh Tokio will defend herself -- and what she considers as hers -- to the utmost of her considerable ability... just like the way she did when she confronted a murderous, sword-wielding Megumi with nothing more than a metal basin....)
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[the present, the Aoiya restaurant in Kyoto]
Omasu burst into the kitchen with her arms full of groceries.
Her fellow female Oniwabanshuu glared at her and yelled, "Where have you been!? We've got to get all this food ready for the dinner crowd...."
"You'll never believe what someone just told me in the marketplace!"
Okon muttered, "What are you babbling about? Start washing that cabbage!"
"Okay, okay!"
"All right, what's the big news?"
"Ghosts!"
"Wha... ghosts!? Oh, come on!"
"It's true! Last night, apparently dozens of different people saw ghosts walking in the streets of Kyoto!"
"What? That's ridiculous!"
"It's true! And get this! Old Mogumi-san down the street SWORE she saw a procession of Shinsengumi appear out of nowhere and disappear just as suddenly!"
"Shinsengumi!? What the...? The old woman must be going senile!"
Omasu went on breathlessly, "And there were stories about people hearing the sound of clashing swords and screaming outside their houses, but whenever they looked, the streets were empty! And that's not all!"
"There's more?" was Okon's skeptical reply.
Omasu pouted. "Yes, there is. They say that people are still seeing these ghosts, even though it's daytime!"
Her friend glanced out the window at the dark gloomy sky which was filled with roiling black clouds.
"With weather like this, there's not much difference between night and day...."
The door to the kitchen suddenly opened. They all turned and froze when they saw Okina standing in the doorway. For a horrified instant, they thought that the old man had suffered some sort of seizure or stroke. He looked incredibly pale and he was mumbling incoherently.
Omasu ran up to him and said, "What's wrong!?"
"I... I saw him...."
"Who?" asked a bewildered Okon.
"My... my old friend... Ichishino.... I saw him in the garden drinking tea...."
"So!?" both women shouted.
Okina sat down abruptly on the floor and yelled back, "But he's been DEAD for the past 12 years!"
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Elsewhere in Kyoto, in an old rickety house that was once an expensive mansion, an old woman cackled madly to herself and mumbled something about time folding back on itself.
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[the present, Tokyo]
Lunch turned out to be a rather subdued affair. Despite the excellent food, it seemed that only Saitoh had much of an appetite. After the meal was cleared away, everyone sat around the table staring at the bundle that contained the black sword. Despite protests from both Misao and Kenshin, Aoshi and Kaoru insisted on joining the discussion.
"Now what?" Misao muttered.
Saitoh calmly drank his tea and said, "Don't look at me. I'm hardly an expert in this area."
Tokio gracefully poured her husband another cup. "Then perhaps you should consult an expert."
They all turned to stare at her. "Do you know of such a person?" said Kenshin.
"I know of a few priests and scholars in Tokyo who have some knowledge of the occult. If they can't help you, then they should be able to direct you to a more knowledgeable person."
"How do you know people like that?" Misao asked in amazement.
Tokio smiled, "I collect old stories and folklore. I've met many different people during my research. Hopefully some of them will be able to help you deal with this sword."
Kenshin quietly began to unwrap the sword. "I think I remember seeing a family crest somewhere on the hilt. That might give us some clues...."
Sano watched him uneasily. "You WILL be careful with that thing, won't you?"
Kenshin smiled quietly. "Believe me, Sano. I'm not eager to do this, but we need to know...."
Suddenly, the room darkened and the temperature plummeted. In an instant, the warm, homely clinic vanished. Everyone found themselves standing in a cold, deserted street.
Misao ran over to Aoshi's side and huddled against him for warmth. "Brrrr! What's going on!?"
Saitoh looked around and muttered, "It's Kyoto."
Sano groaned. "No, not Kyoto again! Why does everything keep going back to Kyoto, of all places!? Kenshin...." When he didn't get a response, he turned and said, "Kenshin?"
The red-haired swordsman was staring at a group of three men walking down the street in their direction. The group consisted of a plump, elderly man and two samurai. One of the samurai was large and massively built while the other was slim and almost painfully young. The large samurai carried a package in one hand while the smaller one carried a lantern. Oblivious to the presence of the others, the three men idly chatted about the young man's fiancee.
Kaoru heard Kenshin utter a soft gasp.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared behind the three men and said in a cold, detached voice, "Apparently you are Kyoto administrator Jubee Shigekura. Nothing personal, however, I wish to take your lives."
The large samurai dropped his package and went for his sword. "Who're you..."
"Choshu Ishinshishi... Himura Battousai," as a red-haired young man -- a teenager really -- stepped out of the shadows.
Kaoru stared in astonishment. (He's... he's so YOUNG!)
The next few seconds passed in a blur of flashing steel and blood. The young Battousai cut down the old man and the large samurai with a single stroke apiece, then he closed with the smaller samurai. There was a brief exchange of blows as the Battousai's badly outmatched opponent somehow managed to fend off the assassin's blade. A final exchange of slashes... then the young man collapsed, nearly disemboweled by the Battousai's brutally precise sword stroke... but the red-haired assassin had not escaped unscathed.
There were gasps from the stunned observers as they watched blood trickle from a long cut on the Battousai's left cheek. He briefly touched his wound and stared at the blood on his fingers. The Battousai then silently turned and plunged his sword into the back of the young, mortally wounded samurai as he crawled along the ground in a last futile attempt to escape the clutches of death.
The Battousai cast the blood off his sword, sheathed it, and walked away. But the young killer stopped suddenly, then turned to look behind him. Impossible as it might seem, the Battousai was undeniably aware of Kenshin's presence. Cold golden eyes gazed into stunned violet eyes as the two Himuras stared at each other across the bridge of years.
(I know you. You are me. I am you.)
The Battousai finally turned away and disappeared into the murky darkness, leaving the watchers alone in a cold Kyoto street with three dead men.
Kenshin slowly sank to his knees in the blood-covered street as he slowly reached up to touch the cross scar on his face.
"Kiyosato Akira...," he whispered. And with that name there always came another. "Tomoe...."
The scene in front of them wavered like a mirage, then vanished.
They found themselves back in the main room of Dr. Genzai's clinic. Kenshin was still on his knees and still motionless. But this time, the vision... or illusion... or dream... did not vanish without a trace.
Kenshin's hakama were unmistakably stained with fresh blood....
....and still more blood trickled steadily between his fingers from one half of the cross scar on his face... a scar that had not bled for nearly 14 years.
Sometime during the past few moments, people gravitated to others for reassurance. Yahiko hovered anxiously near Kaoru. Misao quietly clung to Aoshi who put a comforting hand on her shoulder, while Megumi leaned against Sano for support.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru whispered.
The red-haired swordsman rose to his feet, still graceful even in his dazed state, and slowly walked outside the clinic. As the blood continued to seep from his scar, Kenshin sank down on the porch and stared vacantly at the yard, its stone walls and modest vegetation seemingly awash in blood from the reddish light of the setting sun.
As the others stared wordlessly after Kenshin, Tokio put her hand on her husband's arm and murmured, "Hajime-san...."
Surprisingly, Saitoh wasn't watching Kenshin. Instead, he was looking up at the spectacular reds and purples of the evening sky. There was a faint tone of bemusement in Saitoh's voice as he absently replied, "Isn't it a trifle forward for a respectable young lady like yourself to be on a first name basis with a man she's only known for a few days?"
There was a long... a very long... silence as everyone -- except for Kenshin -- slowly turned to stare at Saitoh.
Tokio's eyes went wide with astonishment, but she managed to answer with an unbelievable amount of composure, given the circumstances.
"Hajime... it's been 15 years since we first met in Kyoto... and we've been married for over EIGHT of them...."
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(end of part 9)
******************** Author's Notes ********************
Q: What's worse than a hitokiri losing his mind?
A: Two of them! ::maniacal laughter::
Next part: A few minor mental glitches. ^_^
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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Part 10: CONSOLATION
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[the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer]
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Tokio's eyes went wide with astonishment, but she managed to answer with an unbelievable amount of composure, given the circumstances.
"Hajime... it's been nearly 15 years since we first met in Kyoto... and we've been married for over EIGHT of them...."
Saitoh froze, then turned very slowly to look at his wife.
Sano frantically thought, (Oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT!!! Not only does Kenshin look like he's totally out of it, but Saitoh... SAITOH, of all people... is losing it, too!)
At that moment, Sano almost wished he WAS a chickenhead, like Saitoh kept calling him. That would give him a perfectly good excuse to run around in circles screaming in mindless panic. He had hoped and prayed for the day that he would see Saitoh Hajime REALLY shaken up. He got his wish... sort of.
For a brief instant, Saitoh gave Tokio a blank, disbelieving stare, then he winced slightly and rubbed his forehead with his hand, as if trying to massage away a mild headache.
It didn't look like much of a reaction, but to Sano and the others, those little gestures of discomfort were the equivalent of an ordinary person going into hysterics.
(I think that's probably about as close as the cold-blooded bastard's ever going get to expressing REAL panic,) thought Sano.
Saitoh suddenly shook his head sharply, dropped his hand to his side, and gazed steadily at Tokio with an expression that was a fairly close approximation to his usual cynical and faintly malicious demeanor.
Misao's head kept swivelling back and forth between a nearly catatonic Kenshin sitting outside and Saitoh, who continued to stare at his wife with a faint frown on his face. As for Tokio, she seemed unruffled by her husband's narrow-eyed scrutiny.
"Wha... wha... WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON!?!?" Misao flung up her hand and wailed.
Even the usually inscrutable Aoshi looked dumbfounded.
-----------------------------------
Tokio discretely guided her husband to a stool in the neighboring room, then stood in front of him, shielding Saitoh from view. While he had managed to regain most of his usual composure, Tokio knew better than anyone else just how unnerved he was by the whole incident.
"Hajime?" she murmured, lightly resting a hand on his shoulder.
He didn't answer immediately, then finally said, "Tokio."
"Yes, I'm here."
"What happened?"
"I think you had an abrupt memory lapse."
"How so?"
With a rueful little smile, Tokio murmured, "You asked me why a respectable young lady like myself was calling you by your first name after only a few day's acquaintance."
"I WHAT?" He blinked, then started to swear furiously under his breath.
With her body blocking the view of casual observers, she gently caressed his face with her fingers. Saitoh reached up and touched her hand, his fingers lingering on hers for a brief instant.
Gazing into his amber eyes and noting the faintly appalled expression in them, she said, "Are you all right now?"
"I think so. Damn."
Saitoh Hajime did not consider himself a fanciful person, but somehow he knew that there was no way he could possibly forget Tokio... his awareness of her seemed indelibly imprinted, not in the mind, but in some other, much more profound part of him. That part would always remember her....
No, he hadn't forgotten Tokio herself... but for an instant, he HAD forgotten so many details about his wife.
(How could I have suddenly forgotten almost everything that's happened between us?)
Saitoh muttered, "And I called you a 'respectable young lady'?"
(That's going a LONG way back in the past....)
When he had first met her, Saitoh HAD thought of Tokio as a typical, modest daughter of a wealthy, highly respected samurai family... but that was a decade and a half ago.
He would never forget the day he first saw her, standing in the garden of her senile old uncle's home. Saitoh had only been 20 years old, but already a leader of the Shinsengumi... she was a 15 year old girl, charming but rather innocent and sheltered... or so it seemed at the time. He had learned better soon enough....
If the times had been different, he probably would have started courting her on the spot. But the country was at war and he was Shinsengumi... he had no time or energy to spare for anything except his duty. He saw her again on several occasions over the next year or so. And then there was that night 13 years ago when she had saved his life for the first time....
He uttered a sharp bark of laughter. "A young lady you might have been, but 'respectable'? Not nearly."
With a faint gleam of amusement in her eyes, Tokio murmured, "My family is perfectly respectable. You said so yourself."
"Until I found out what your grandmother and that pack of old crones...."
"If you're referring to my esteemed, elderly female relatives...," she corrected mildly.
"....pack of old crones were teaching you and your younger cousins." Saitoh snorted. What a shock THAT had been....
Tokio said primly, "It's only proper that a young lady be able to defend herself and the honor of her husband and family."
"Defend herself, yes. But your family's standards of what constitutes 'self-defense' are extreme, to say the least."
His wife placidly shrugged.
Saitoh scowled. These things and so many others... where had nearly 15 years of his memories gone... if only for a brief instant?
-----------------------------------
Misao stared out the door at the setting sun. "Aoshi-sama.... It was barely noon when this... vision... started...."
"Yes."
"And now the sun's almost completely set...."
"I know," he replied quietly.
"But... what we saw... it couldn't have taken Himura more than a few minutes to kill those men!" She stared anxiously at him.
"Time's a highly subjective thing, Misao. You should know that by now."
She eyed the partially unwrapped black sword with loathing. (We can't just leave it like that....) She took few steps toward the table. As she reached out, Aoshi grabbed her shoulder with the speed of a striking viper.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to wrap it up again. Maybe it'll prevent this... vision or illusion thing from happening again. Besides, I can't STAND looking at it any more."
"But Misao, if you touch it...."
Seeing the faint but distinct signs of concern on Aoshi's face, she gripped his hand with her good hand. "Don't worry, Aoshi-sama. I'll be really careful. The thing makes my skin crawl... but someone has to do it."
He stared down at her and saw both the tightly controlled fear and the resolve on her face. He glanced at the blade. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, but he found the weapon undeniably repulsive. It seemed to drain every bit of the rapidly fading sunlight from the room....
Quietly, he said, "You only have one working hand. I'll help you."
They both cautiously approached the table, almost as if the sword was a dangerous beast capable of turning on them in an instant.
(Maybe it can...,) he thought uneasily.
As they gingerly gathered up the edges of the blanket, Aoshi took the opportunity to take a good look at the sword hilt.
"Take a look at this hilt ornament. You see the same animal design in the tsuba."
Misao peered closely at the hilt, then at the guard, taking great care not to touch the weapon. "It... it looks like a dog in a weird pose, but I don't recognize it. Do you think it's some sort of family crest?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. It's a clue, at least."
As they quickly shrouded the sword under multiple layers of blanket and tied the bundle tight, Misao muttered, "I... I suppose we could... remove the hilt and take a look at the sword's tang for any inscriptions." She looked absolutely nauseated by the idea of handling that ominous black sword so much.
Aoshi didn't look at all happy with the idea, either. "That's the obvious thing to do, but we should discuss it with the others first."
Misao glanced around the clinic. She was probably the only person who could see Tokio quietly talking to Saitoh in one of the clinic's back rooms. The ninja girl blinked in surprise as she watched Saitoh's wife gently brush her fingers against his face. The policeman's response seemed even more amazing to her.
(He's actually... HOLDING... her hand.)
It was only the most fleeting exchange of touches -- easily missed in the blink of an eye -- but Misao was astonished by the feelings of reassurance and intimacy those two simple gestures represented.
(So little... but they can mean so much...,) the ninja girl mused.
-----------------------------------
"Kenshin."
He didn't seem to hear the soft female voice calling his name, but merely continued to stare at the slowly fading sunlight illuminating the yard.
(Strange... the light... instead of fading, it's turning into a darker shade of red... just another shade of blood....)
There was a brief pause, the rasping sound of a door sliding closed, then someone touched his shoulder.
"Kenshin."
He abruptly snapped out of his trance of painful memories. Kenshin slowly glanced up and said, "Kaoru-dono...."
Pale, yet slightly flushed with fever, she stood in front of him with a look of intense concern on her face. She held out her hand to him.
Unthinkingly, he reached out to take her hand, then froze as he realized that his own hand was covered in blood.
(NO! I can't get her dirty....)
She could see the flash of sorrow and horror in his violet eyes. Before he could pull away, Kaoru quickly knelt down on the porch and grasped his bloodied fingers, holding them tightly.
"No, Kenshin... don't. It's all right. It's just a little blood.... There's nothing wrong with it. It's your own blood, Kenshin...."
With her other hand, she reached out to touch the still bleeding scar on his face. He flinched away slightly from her fingers.
"Kaoru-dono... I...," he whispered in tones of near despair.
She bit her lip, then slowly said, "What we saw... was that... how you got this?" Her fingers lightly brushed along the scar running parallel to his jaw.
He nodded tensely.
"Then... it's blood honorably shed, isn't it? You did... what you did because you thought it was necessary and right. You didn't do it because you enjoyed it or for your own gain."
He whispered, "Sometimes... I don't know what's worse... to kill with joy... or to kill without feeling...."
Kaoru stared at him helplessly. Kenshin usually looked as if he was at most only in his early twenties... just a few years older than herself. But it was times like this when she really felt the difference in their ages... and experience.
He had been through terrible things... there was so much about his life that she didn't know and that she couldn't understand. Losing her parents, struggling to keep the family dojo alive,... all these struggles seemed almost trivial when compared to Kenshin's battle to keep his own soul alive through unspeakable bloodshed and violence... and so much of it committed by his own hands.
Kenshin gasped sharply as he glanced down and saw Kaoru's hands now covered in reddish smears. He tried to pull his hands free, but she clung to them with surprising determination. Unable to face the sight any longer, Kenshin finally turned his head away.
Kaoru stared down at her bloodstained hands. She could feel his blood, warm and sticky on her fingers... and a gradual understanding began to grow within her. She could only guess at what his thoughts might be, but she abruptly realized that in those smears of blood, she saw something that he had forgotten... or long since dismissed as unimportant.
"Kenshin.... Kenshin, please look at me."
He resisted at first, then reluctantly glanced at her, bracing himself for what he might... what he probably would see.... Describing what he had done as the Hitokiri Battousai was one thing. But no matter how carefully chosen... no matter how eloquently spoken... words could never convey the true horror of those days and nights in Kyoto all those years ago.
But now she had experienced it for herself through her own senses... witnessed his victims' fear with her own eyes... heard their dying screams and moans with her own ears... smelled the blood and entrails lying in the street....
"Kenshin... I can't be sure, but I'm guessing that when you see this blood on both our hands, you're probably thinking of stains that will never go away... sins that must be atoned for."
His hands, slender yet incredibly strong, twitched in her grasp, but she swiftly continued speaking.
"But when I see this blood, I see something else. You talk about the blood you shed... all the people you killed. But... but you never talk about the blood YOU lost... the times you were hurt.... What about your pain, Kenshin?"
He stared at her with wide, violet eyes.
"I.... Kaoru-dono...."
She held up their clasped hands between them. "That's what this blood means to me. Your pain and only that. There's no need to hide it from me, so please don't... go... away again...."
Before he could speak, she shook her head sharply. "I don't mean physically, Kenshin. I mean... in your heart... your mind... your soul.... I can see it. I can see you withdrawing... pulling away." A faint, accusatory tone crept into her voice.
Kenshin hung his head, unable to counter her charges. They were perfectly true.
"Don't leave us again.... Don't leave ME again.... I... I want us to be together...." she whispered in a slightly choked voice.
He looked up and gave her a wistful, yet beautiful smile.
"I won't, Kaoru-dono. And... so do I."
-----------------------------------
(Go, Jo-chan!) Sano silently cheered as he watched Kaoru step outside to speak to Kenshin, closing the door behind her.
Although no one inside the clinic could actually hear the quiet conversation between Kenshin and Kaoru, through some trick of the light, they could all SEE it. The silhouettes against the transluscent paper of the closed door were slightly blurred around the edges, but they still showed every little movement... every little touch... in almost uncanny detail, just like an elegant shadow puppet show.
-----------------------------------
To Misao, the shadowy movements of Kenshin and Kaoru seemed to be eerily similar to what she saw going on between Saitoh and Tokio. And just like Saitoh and Tokio, the only physical contact between the two people on the porch was the fleeting touch of fingers and the holding of hands.
She could only hear the blurred murmur of voices -- mostly Kaoru's -- but Misao didn't need the exact words. Somehow she understood what they were saying just from their body language.
....Kaoru extending her hand to Kenshin....
....Kenshin tentatively reaching to take her hand....
....his abrupt flinch and retreat....
....Kaoru sinking to her knees and holding his hand....
....Kaoru slowly touching his face....
....Kenshin constantly looking away, staring downward,... pulling back from her....
....Kaoru always reaching out to him, leaning forward,... drawing him back to her....
Finally... Kaoru holding up their clasped hands between them as the two of them leaned toward each other. And they stayed that way as the last of the sunlight vanished and the outlines of their shadows slowly faded.
Misao sniffled and felt her throat tightening as she watched the silent conversation between Kenshin's and Kaoru's bodies -- a graceful, almost unbearably poignant dance. Hastily wiping at the tears in her eyes, she groped for the closest piece of cloth -- which happened to be the sleeve of Aoshi's bedrobe -- and loudly blew her nose.
Realizing what she had done only after the fact, she turned bright red and stammered, "Aoshi-... Aoshi-sama...."
He gazed at her with no particular expression on his face. But as she stared up into his eyes, Misao saw the imperfectly hidden signs of old pain and regrets... of lingering memories of his own personal darkness only just recently left behind.
She wondered, (Have I been expecting the wrong thing from him? I've been trying to get Aoshi to blurt out his feelings for all the world to see... but what if he can't?) Her thoughts drifted to their dream conversation of the night before, then she put it together with she had just seen between Kenshin and Kaoru.
(Is that really it? You somehow feel unworthy and besmirched, so you don't want to contaminate me? Is that why you refuse to let the slightest bit of caring and emotion show?)
Something abruptly boiled over in Misao. Without any warning, she suddenly grabbed the collar of Aoshi's bedrobe and yanked his head down to her level. Hissing softly in his ear, she said, "Is that why you waited until you were nearly at death's door for me to tell me that you cared about me, huh?"
"Misao...?" He gave her a faintly bewildered stare.
Keeping her voice low, she snarled, "That's the ONLY reason you bothered to actually say it out loud to me, right? You didn't expect to survive, did you? You fully expected to bleed to death right on top of their graves, didn't you?"
Aoshi eyed her with the same startled stare that a person might bestow upon a cute little rabbit suddenly gone rabid.
"Well, you DID survive and you DID tell me and I'm not about to let you go crawling back behind your walls, got it?" Misao growled angrily into his ear.
-----------------------------------
Throughout the entire conversation between Kenshin and Kaoru, the others had tensely watched the shadows moving on the paper walls, afraid to utter a sound. Now they all heaved a silent sigh of relief as Kenshin and Kaoru seemed to come to some sort of happy resolution.
Sano glanced over at Misao whispering into Aoshi's ear and wondered at the nervous, almost hunted expression that suddenly appeared on the man's face.
(What the hell is that girl telling him?)
Then Sano thought he heard Saitoh utter a sharp laugh. He walked over to the back room and asked Tokio, "Is he okay?"
She turned and gave him a slight smile. "I think things are under control for the moment."
Sano gave Tokio a curious look as she calmly stood between Sano and her husband. Kenshin had talked about her strength of will and her determination. He didn't doubt that Kenshin was probably right. It made perfect sense on an intellectual level. Of course Saitoh wouldn't marry someone who couldn't take care of herself.
But when he was actually looking at her... well, that was a completely different story. As a tall, wiry man with a lean, austere, positively cruel face, Saitoh LOOKED dangerous. Any sensible person would be wary of a person like that.
On the other hand, Tokio was a slim woman of medium height, graceful and exceedingly beautiful in a quiet, understated way. She looked fragile, delicate,... and about as harmless as you could get.
(A she-wolf? Nah, she looks more like a doe. Which makes you wonder how she manages to avoid getting all chewed up from living with Saitoh all these years.) And as for sleeping with that man.... (Ewww... I'm NOT even going to go there....)
As Sano puzzled over Tokio, Saitoh stood up and gave the fighter an icy 'if-you-say-the-wrong-thing-I'll-kill-you-on-the-spot' sort of stare.
Sano wasn't about to say a damn thing at the moment. This wasn't a joking matter. In fact, the current situation was about as unfunny as it could get. But before the fighter could say anything, there was a loud pounding on the outer gate of the clinic compound.
Saitoh rudely brushed Sano out of the way and flung open the front door. He smirked slightly as he stared down at the two startled people still holding hands on the porch. Without the slightest remorse for interrupting the intimate moment between Kenshin and Kaoru, he stalked right between them -- forcing Kenshin to let go of Kaoru's hand -- on his way to the front gate.
Sano snarled, "Why that insensitive, cold-hearted, unfeeling, heartless bastard...." His voice abruptly trailed off as he realized that Tokio was standing right next to him with a mildly curious look in her eyes and a gentle smile on her face. Sano felt his face going bright red with embarassment.
In the meantime, Megumi quietly drifted to Kaoru's side and handed her a clean, damp cloth. Kaoru accepted it with a quick nod of thanks and gently began to wipe the blood from Kenshin's hand and cheek.
-----------------------------------
"Inspector Fujita!"
Saitoh curtly replied, "Yes?"
The policeman waiting outside the gateway gasped, "Sir, an urgent message! I'm supposed to await your answer," and handed over a piece of paper.
Saitoh's eyes narrowed as he read through the note. Refolding it with abrupt movements, he sharply asked the waiting officer, "Are you aware of the contents of this message?"
"Not exactly, sir... but Headquarters is in a quiet uproar about it. It seems impossible, but with so many reports from unrelated sources...."
"Any reports of similar incidents here in Tokyo?"
"Here, sir? Not that I know of."
"Very well, I'll be at headquarters at dawn. Arrange for a carriage and boat passage to Osaka."
"Yes sir! Uh... for how many, sir?"
Saitoh glanced back at the clinic. "Actually, make arrangements for a party of eight to ten. And post an officer outside."
"Yes, sir!"
As Saitoh returned to the clinic, Sano said, "Oy! What's with the sour face?"
Saitoh gave him a particularly nasty look. "It seems that there certain... sightings... in Kyoto."
"Sightings? What the hell do you mean by that?" By this time, Saitoh had attracted everyone's attention.
The policeman smiled slowly. The sight made a chill go down Sano's spine.
"It seems that there've been multiple, credible reports of Shinsengumi and Ishin Shishi forces suddenly appearing in the streets of Kyoto last night."
Kenshin jerked his head up. "WHAT!?"
"They seem to appear, then disappear without a trace. My superiors have apparently decided that they want me in Kyoto to personally investigate these... occurrences."
Tokio walked up to her husband and murmured, "Hajime-san...."
He glanced briefly at his wife and said flatly, "You, too."
Tokio nodded obediently as Misao asked, "Why do they want YOU?"
Kenshin abruptly stood up, his cheek still bleeding, although very slightly.
"Misao, it's because he's one of the very few of the Shinsengumi still alive. The government isn't sure whether this is just some elaborate hoax or something... more mysterious."
"You think it's related to what just happened to us?" Kaoru awkwardly rose to her feet, then staggered slightly.
"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin swiftly grabbed her to keep her from falling on her face.
-----------------------------------
It seemed that the effort of trying to reach Kenshin and to bring him back had drained the last of Kaoru's strength. She didn't protest as he picked her up and put her in bed. He hovered anxiously nearby as Megumi checked Kaoru's temper, then gave Tokio a worried look.
"What's wrong, Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asked.
"Her fever's gone up. Not much," she hastily added, "but it is a bit worrisome. Really, she should have stayed in bed today. All this activity is just draining her strength unnecessarily."
As Kaoru tossed her head fretfully on the pillow, Tokio pulled the ribbon from Kaoru's hair, then loosely braided the silky black strands to keep them out of the way.
Kaoru mumbled her thanks and curled up under the covers. She was suddenly so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open and her mind seemed eerily disconnected from her aching body.
-----------------------------------
As Kenshin and Megumi hastily helped Kaoru to bed, Misao and the others all turned to stare at Saitoh. He stared back at them, neither confirming or denying anything.
There was another knock at the door. Recognizing the visitor, Misao was out the door in a flash. There was a quick exchange of words, then she returned holding a piece of paper.
Aoshi frowned slightly, "Isn't that...?"
"Yup." She hastily opened the message and started reading. They all watched in alarm as she went very, very pale.
"Misao?" Aoshi asked sharply.
"It's from Jiya...." She numbly handed it to Aoshi.
Sano, Kenshin, and the others crowded around Aoshi, but couldn't decipher the coded message. He read it through once... then read it again... then read it yet another time.
Finally, Sano snapped, "What does it say!?"
Aoshi looked at Saitoh and answered in a soft whisper.
"The ghosts of the dead are walking in Kyoto."
-----------------------------------
(end of part 10)
******************** Author's Notes ********************
Next part: A return to the past and terrible losses. ^_^
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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Part 11: RETALIATION
======================================================================
[the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer]
-----------------------------------
Aoshi looked at Saitoh and answered in a soft whisper.
"The ghosts of the dead are walking in Kyoto."
While Kenshin stiffened and went pale, Saitoh's reaction was considerably different. He smiled slowly and shrugged dismissively.
"I'm leaving for Kyoto tomorrow by the first available steamship." Glancing at Misao and Aoshi, he drawled in a bored voice, "If you want to come along, be at the harbor police station by dawn."
Misao looked like she couldn't quite decided whether to throw Saitoh's 'offer' back in his sneering face or to accept. She looked at Aoshi. Although he seemed to be recovering nicely, he was also painfully weak and clearly not up to strenuous activity such as traveling by foot.
Aoshi gave Saitoh a cool nod of acknowledgment, then went back to reading Okina's message again.
Saitoh then glanced at Kenshin and raised a mocking eyebrow. In a malevolent sort of purr, the policeman murmured, "Interested in coming to Kyoto, Battousai? If the sightings aren't some moronic hoax, it promises to be QUITE the reunion...."
Kenshin's head jerked around. Sano watched with alarm as his friend's hand moved almost reflexively to hover over the hilt of his sakabatou as the red-haired swordsman glared coldly at Saitoh. And was he imagining things or was there the briefest flash of gold in Kenshin's eyes...?
The red-haired swordsman said coldly, "I'm not in the mood to play games, Saitoh. And if you have any business to settle, we can handle it here and now. There's no need to go to Kyoto to do it."
Saitoh seemed unruffled by Kenshin's unexpectedly hostile response. With an air of malicious amusement, he shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." The policeman's gaze fell on the heavily wrapped black sword lying on the table. "Then you can occupy your time by keeping an eye on that weapon."
"Take care of that damned thing yourself, Saitoh!" Sano angrily shouted.
"Idiot. The situation in Kyoto is messy enough as it is. I have no intention of aggravating matters by carting such an obviously dangerous item into the city."
Curled up under the bed covers, Kaoru made a faint sound of discomfort. However soft, that little noise instantly grabbed Kenshin's attention and broke the ominous tension between the two old enemies. Shaking his head, Kenshin eased out of his ready stance and said somberly, "He's right, Sano. I don't think that it would be a good idea to take that sword to Kyoto."
Sano felt an definite sense of uneasiness. (For a moment there, I thought they were going to fight it out, here and now. The way he's shifted in and out of the Battousai mood... he doesn't even seem to be aware he did it... and Kenshin's usually a lot more even-tempered than this....)
The fighter abruptly noticed Tokio, who was standing off to the side, her gaze modestly downcast... but Sano sensed that she was paying very, VERY close attention to her husband.
(What the...? It's like she's picked up something odd about Saitoh's behavior, but what could it be? He seems to be acting like his usual, nasty self....)
"Later then, Battousai." Saitoh turned and leisurely strolled out of the clinic. His wife lingered a moment to give them a polite bow of farewell, then followed her husband.
After the Saitohs' departure, Sano muttered, "That ungrateful bastard! He owes you big time for saving his wife's life. And what do you get? Not a damn word of thanks and more of his damned taunting and prodding!"
Kenshin smiled ruefully. "The fact that I helped to save his wife from serious injury undoubtedly irritates him to no end."
Aoshi said quietly, "I'll be leaving for Kyoto tomorrow."
Misao said flatly, "WE'RE leaving for Kyoto tomorrow." Her eyes glittered ferociously as she thought, (Oh no, Aoshi. You're not leaving ME behind any more.)
He gave her a wary look as she turned back to Kenshin. "I really don't want to run out on you guys, but...."
Kenshin smiled gently. "No, Misao-dono. It sounds like Okina's really worried about the situation in Kyoto. He's definitely not the type to panic. If he says that... ghosts from the past... are walking, then it must be more than mere rumor. It's only right that you be there in case he and the others need you."
Aoshi said in a very neutral voice, "Okina says that although he hasn't personally seen any of the supposed Shinsengumi or Ishin Shishi troops, he did have a visitation of his own. An old friend of his who's been dead for over a decade apparently showed up in the Aoiya's garden to drink tea."
Abnormally quiet and subdued ever since the dream-like vision of his father's death... and his father's supposed murderer... Yahiko shivered visibly.
Kenshin glanced at Aoshi and Misao. "If you want to meet Saitoh at dawn, you probably should get as much sleep as you can."
It was a sign of Aoshi's general weakness that he didn't say a word before heading straight for his bed in the clinic's wardroom.
The ninja girl walked over to Megumi as the doctor continued to monitor Kaoru's condition. Misao whispered, "Will he be able to handle the trip?" tipping her head in Aoshi's direction.
"Yes. Naturally, staying in bed would be the best thing for him, but a sea trip should be no problem." Megumi smiled tiredly. "He should recover completely as long as he doesn't engage in any strenuous activity and reopens those injuries. It's up to you to make sure he takes it easy and gives his body time to recover."
Misao scowled in grim determination. "You got it. Uh... I just wanted to thank you so much for taking such good care of him. I... um, I heard you telling Kaoru that you had a... bad encounter with him at the Kamiya dojo... when he was looking for Kenshin... but he wasn't really himself at the time...."
Megumi shrugged. "I'm a doctor. I do my best for my patients, no matter how unpleasant or how much of an annoyance they are. Just look at Sano here...."
"Hey! What do you mean by that, Fox-lady!?" Sano yelped loudly.
"Shhhhh!" said Kenshin, Megumi, and Misao simultaneously as they all pointed to the semi-dozing Kaoru.
Sano grumbled and stalked off to sulk while Misao went to Megumi's room to get some sleep. That left Kenshin and Megumi alone by Kaoru's bedside.
"Megumi-dono, how is she?" asked Kenshin as he crouched beside the bed. He slowly reached out to touch Kaoru's hand and got a brief squeeze in return. As he stared at her, he thought, (Kaoru... out there on the porch, you lent me so much of your inner strength.... I wish I could help you by giving you some of this supposed strength of mine in return....)
The doctor wearily brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Actually, it seems that her fever's gone down. Perhaps by morning, it'll be gone for good. She's still very weak and I can't explain that. There's no obvious cause like an infection."
They both uttered a tired sigh. Rising to his feet, Kenshin said, "Megumi-dono, after all that's happened, you really need some rest yourself."
"Yes... I suppose so. Oh, by the way, Yahiko brought some fresh clothes for everyone." She glanced uneasily at the bloodstains on his hakama... the blood that hadn't come from Kenshin himself. Those stains had come from an impossible source... a mere dream.
She eyed the carefully wrapped sword lying in the clinic's main room with obvious distaste. Ever since that thing had showed up, the world seemed to make less and less sense. She was a practical woman, not giving to silly superstitions, but all the recent events involving that mysterious black weapon made the strange sightings in Kyoto all too believable.
-----------------------------------
Kaoru could hear the sound of Kenshin's and Megumi's voices. They were talking about her... his voice tight with worry... the doctor's voice calm and soothing.
She felt so strange. The feverish ache and soreness in her body had finally gone away, leaving... nothing... almost an eerie void of sensation. Her mind seemed to be quietly floating, detached from her tired, sickly body.
-----------------------------------
As Megumi left to go to her room, her words reminded Kenshin of Yahiko's strange behavior.
(He's been so quiet. It's so unlike him.) He then remembered what Yahiko and Sano had seen -- the Hitokiri Battousai in all his bloody perfection -- and not just once, but twice.
He quietly walked over to Yahiko who sat in a corner of the clinic's main room, staring at the floor.
(Kaoru....) By some profound miracle, Kaoru had not been repulsed by those mysterious visions of his dark past, but what about Yahiko? Kenshin took a deep, silent breath.
"Yahiko... are you all right?"
The boy was silent for a long moment. Kenshin was afraid that he wasn't going to respond at all and felt a deep pang of dread and loss. After waiting a few minutes in silence, Kenshin turned and started to walk away... then stopped when Yahiko suddenly spoke.
"Kenshin...."
He instantly turned around and said, "Yes, Yahiko?"
The boy stared at the master swordsman standing in front of him, his long red hair pulled into a high ponytail, his sakabatou ready at his waist. In a quiet, thoughtful voice, he said, "Kenshin.... do you remember the faces of the people you've killed?"
Kenshin gasped and flinched as if brutally struck. But Yahiko didn't appear angry or sickened. There was no accusation in the boy's voice, just a subdued, almost impersonal interest.
Yahiko stared up at the man that he respected most of all... the sort of man he someday hoped to be. Looking into the expression of sorrow and old anguish in those wide violet eyes, Yahiko had his answer even before Kenshin said a word.
"....yes...." He wanted to avoid Yahiko's eyes, but he repressed the urge with some effort. "Yes... I remember their faces." He hesitated briefly, then said, "I've forgotten nothing of that time in Kyoto. Nothing."
"All of them?" Yahiko's voice seemed to contain an odd combination of skepticism and awe.
Kenshin finally had to look away. "Yes... every one of them. I... owe them that much. I think... even acting as the Hitokiri Battousai... somewhere deep inside, I already knew that each life was valuable in its own way. To forget them... to let all those people blur together in a meaningless mass...." He slowly shook his head. "Each of them had family... lovers... hopes... dreams... and I took those things away from them forever. I can never forget that."
"How... how do you manage to sleep at night? How can you keep... going?" Yahiko whispered.
"Sometimes, it's not easy. Sometimes... it's the hardest thing in the world. But friendship and... love... makes the most difficult things possible... and worthwhile."
Yahiko slowly rose to his feet. He walked up to Kenshin and stared up at him. Then, to Kenshin's great surprise and relief, Yahiko give him a small but genuine smile.
"Thank you, Himura Kenshin." The words had an odd note of formality to them. Without another word, Yahiko turned and quickly headed for Dr. Genzai's room.
As Kenshin stared after the boy, Sano quietly walked into the room and looked at his friend without saying a word. Not surprised by Sano's presence, Kenshin whispered, "You're welcome, Myojin Yahiko."
He turned to the fighter. "Sano, why...."
Sano shook his head slowly and said, "The kid asked me not to say. It's up to him to explain, if he ever wants to. But... I think you told him exactly what he wanted and needed to hear."
Kenshin blushed and said, "Maa maa... I didn't even know the question!"
Sano grinned slightly. "You didn't need to know."
As Kenshin smiled a bit wistfully, the fighter added, "You looked really scared there, for a minute."
Kenshin stared at the floor. "I was. I've told all of you about my past as the Hitokiri Battousai... but it's a very different thing to see it with your own eyes.... I was... concerned that actually seeing what happened...."
Sano stiffened a bit. "So that stuff we saw this afternoon... that really happened?"
Kenshin nodded. "Yes...." But he thought, (....except for that very last moment... that younger version of me was AWARE of me.... It's more than just a past memory....)
Unaware of Kenshin's musings, Sano said, "It was...." His voice trailed off. The best words he could come up with was 'awe-inspiring' and 'terrifying' but he suspected those were the very last words Kenshin needed to hear. Instead he shrugged carelessly and said, "Oy, we're not that easy to get rid of. You should know that by now."
Kenshin looked up at Sano and gave him a warm, gentle smile, "I'm sorry. As Master Hiko keeps telling me, I can be a terribly slow learner. But I AM learning... thanks to all of you."
Sano pounded Kenshin on the shoulder, then muttered, "Hell, I hope we don't have to go through this crap every single time...." His voice faded as he wandered off to bed.
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After Sano retired for the night, Kenshin picked his sakabatou and returned to the porch, leaving the front door open in case Kaoru needed him. He stared out at the garden. In the silvery moonlight, it looked beautiful... pristine... so different from the blood drenched picture from sunset. With her words, Kaoru had managed to cleanse those ugly images from his mind... temporarily, at least.
His hand drifted up to touch one of the scars on his cheek. It was no longer bleeding, but he could still remember the burning sting of steel slicing through flesh. But that physical pain was nothing compared to the inner pain those scars represented.
(Kaoru now knows where one half of the scar came from. Perhaps... perhaps it's time I tell her how I got the other scar... and tell her about... Tomoe....)
The moon, just past the full phase but still bright, seemed to bleach the color from the world, leaving it pale and white... as white as that winter's day so long ago....
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In their house, Saitoh Hajime lay in his wife's arms, their legs intertwined, his arm curled possessively about her waist. With his head pillowed on her chest -- the same chest that now bore a shallow, day-old sword cut -- he soon fell asleep to the reassuring sound of her quietly beating heart.
As she gently stroked her husband's hair, Tokio stared up through the open window at the night sky....
....and patiently waited for the inevitable.
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Sometime later, Aoshi awoke to the sound of a dull thud, followed by a thumping noise. But it wasn't just any thumping noise. He identified the sound in an instant... the sound of flesh hitting a hard surface.
He soundlessly slipped out of the bed and cautiously made his way to the main room. The front door of the clinic was open. He stared disbelievingly at the scene illuminated by the merciless gleam of moonlight.
Himura was lying in a limp heap on the floor, his long red hair blending almost perfectly with the thin trickle of blood steeping from under his head.
(But who could have possibly sneaked up on him....)
Then he saw the other person in the room and it all made a dreadful, twisted sort of sense.
Kaoru dropped the small, bloodied stone statue she was holding -- one of the decorations scattered around Dr. Genzai's home -- and picked up the heavily wrapped sword from the table. But the sword's wrappings, so carefully and securely tied by both himself and Misao, fell open at her mere touch. Now holding the black blade, she turned to face him....
....and Aoshi saw the tears streaming silently down her face and the terrible anguish in her blue eyes.
"Kaoru!? Why...?" Off to the side, he heard the sound of a door opening, but Aoshi didn't take his eyes off of Kaoru for an instant.
Kaoru's mouth opened, but what came out wasn't anything like her normal voice. Her words were low, almost gutteral as she intoned, "It ends where it began. The Battousai and the Mibu's Wolf will both pay dearly for their sins against Minobe Junichi."
With those words, she brandished the black sword. Aoshi collapsed to the floor as all his wounds inflicted by that weapon suddenly seemed to explode into agony. By the time he managed to lift his head, Kaoru had disappeared into the night, leaving behind only a sprinkling of her tears.
"KAORU!!!"
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(end of part 11)
******************** Author's Notes ********************
Next part: Even more insidious losses to come. ^_^
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