For the Love of a Child
by DQBunny
*****
DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters are the
property of Nobuiro Watsuki. I'm just borrowing them for
awhile. This story is set after the Jinchu Arc of the
manga and relies heavily on information gathered in that
arc for those who do not wish to be spoiled.
*****
Part Two
"Huh? Yukishiro Enishi?" Kaoru gasped, nearly dropping the
bucket of tofu. "You saw him talking to Kenshin?"
Yahiko nodded. "He yelled at Kenshin, then gave him
Tomoe's diary and ran off. He called him a bastard and
told him to read the diary."
"He didn't try to fight him?"
"Nuh uh."
Kaoru sighed in relief. "I'm glad. Kenshin's in no shape
to fight someone like Enishi without using Hiten Mitsurugi
Ryu. Megumi-san said it would eventually become
ineffective, but the more he uses it, the faster that time
will come. Better that he uses it as a last resort for as
long as he can."
Yahiko frowned. "It's odd though. Why did Enishi come
back to Tokyo? And why didn't Saitou arrest him?"
"I've learned not to question what Saitou does," Kaoru said
as they walked in the dojo gates. "You can't figure the
man out. Kenshin! Tadima!"
"Eh? Look at that, Kaoru," Yahiko said, pointing to the
porch of the house. Parts of a book lay on the ground with
pages spread around it.
"Huh? It's Tomoe-san's diary!" Kaoru cried, handing the
tofu to Yahiko and running to the remains of the book. She
carefully picked up the loose pages and the pieces of the
diary. "It's been through so much, no wonder it's falling
apart. I'll repair it later tonight."
"Are you gonna read it?" Yahiko asked.
"Baka. I have no right. Whatever's in this diary is
Kenshin's business, not mine."
Yahiko shrugged. "It'd be interesting to see inside the
mind of that woman. I mean, she suddenly goes from wanting
to kill Kenshin to loving him."
"It's not that hard to do," Kaoru whispered. She hugged
the diary to her chest. "I owe it to Tomoe-san to make
sure that her diary is repaired. Still, I wonder why
Kenshin left it out like that?"
"I don't know. Oh, there's a page," Yahiko said, noticing
a piece of paper by the empty laundry tub. He ran across
the yard and snagged it in his fingers. He briefly scanned
the page and started to head back to Kaoru. Something
clicked in his mind and he stared at the page, recognizing
some of the kanji.
"Yahiko!" Kaoru scolded him, walking across the yard with
her arms full of diary papers. "I said that we're not
going to read this."
"Ka...Ka...Kaoru...you've got to see this," Yahiko showed
her the paper. "This might be why Kenshin isn't here."
"Huh?" Kaoru took the paper and started reading the entry.
After a moment, she cried out, the diary pages falling to
the ground once more. "Masaka! She was pregnant?"
"Man, and she didn't tell Kenshin either," Yahiko
whispered, gathering up the diary once more.
"The doctor guessed her to be two months along. Oh,
Yahiko...Kenshin was going to be a father."
"Was. The baby died along with Tomoe."
Kaoru lowered the page. Yahiko was right. Not only did
Kenshin accidentally kill his wife, but he killed their
child as well and didn't even know it until now. She felt
her knee grow weak, and she forced herself to remain
upright. After all they had gone through, could Kenshin
take another blow like this?
Yahiko sighed. "What do you want me to do with the diary?"
"Put it in my room," Kaoru placed the paper she held on the
stack. "I'll repair it. But now, I've got to find
Kenshin."
Yahiko started toward the house, then looked back at Kaoru.
"You don't think he'll start wandering again because of
this, do you?" he asked.
Kaoru hesistated. "I...I don't know. But, wherever he is,
he's got to be hurting terribly right now. When Tomoe
died, he had to bear that pain alone. Now, he has us.
We'll see that he's okay," she managed a smile for Yahiko,
then ran out of the gate.
Yahiko watched Kaoru head down the street. She's changed
from when I first met her, he thought. But, no matter how
good her intentions are or how strong their feelings are
for each other...Yahiko sighed, wishing that Sanosuke was
still around. He deposited the diary in Kaoru's room, then
headed out in search of a carrier piegon.
*****
"Are you sure he hasn't been by here, Tae-san?" Kaoru
asked.
Tae shook her head. "Genzai-sensei and the little girls
were just here, and he wasn't with them. I'm sorry, Kaoru-
chan."
"That's okay. I'll see you soon," Kaoru squeezed her
friend's hand and started to walked away from the Akabeko.
She knew that Kenshin wouldn't stop at the restaraunt, but
he could possibly be seen walking by. She thought for a
moment, then remembered a place where he could be.
Kaoru headed out of town, walking down the main road until
she reached a path. She moved onto the path, and headed
toward the clearing where she and Kenshin had talked prior
to the battle with Enishi. Through the trees, she could
see the glimpses of the clearing.
An intense wave of ki slammed into Kaoru, almost driving
her to her knees. She grabbed hold of a nearby tree trunk
to steady herself. At that moment, a guttural cry of anger
and sorrow filled the air, startling the birds and small
animals to the point that they headed for shelter.
Kaoru's eyes widened. Kenshin...
She stumbled forward and saw Kenshin's hair through the
trees. His sakabatou was unsheathed, and she watched as he
raced forth and with chilling prescion, cut through the
trunks of several small trees, his cries echoing the
efforts of his movements. Kaoru gasped as the tears that
streamed down his cheeks glittered in the sunlight along
with the golden flecks in his violet eyes.
I can't imagine the pain he's in, she thought. I've lost
my father, but it's something entirely different to lose a
child. Kenshin's had to deal with so much pain in the past
year, how much more of it can he take? Before her eyes,
the exhausted rurouni sank to his knees, struggling to
catch his breath.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried, running into the clearing. He
looked back at her just as she tripped and landed on the
ground.
"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said, scrambling to his feet to get
to her side. "Daijobu de gozaru ka?"
"I'm fine," Kaoru got on her knees just as he reached her
side. "I tripped, that's all." She scrutinized Kenshin's
face from his red eyes due to crying to the tension that
etched the corners of his mouth. She reached out and
caressed the cheek with his scars. "Oh, Kenshin, I know
about..."
Before Kaoru could finish telling him about the diary, a
thin, reedy wail filled the air.
The couple startled, then surveyed the area as the cry grew
louder. Kaoru looked back over her shoulder at the place
where she tripped. She could barely see the edges of a
willow basket set low into the weeds.
"That cry, it's coming from over there," Kaoru said,
getting to her feet.
Kenshin laid a hand on her shoulder, then moved past her,
his hand resting on the hilt of his sakabatou. He peered
into the basket, ready to slaughter whatever wild animal
that decided to make dinner of them. His hand dropped from
the sword and he sank to his knees, gripping the sides of
the basket.
"Kenshin? What's wrong?" Kaoru asked, stumbling through
the grass, silently cursing the heavy clothing of her
kimono as she did so. She reached his side and looked in
the basket. She gasped, her hand covering her mouth.
"Masaka...it's a baby!"
by DQBunny
*****
DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters are the
property of Nobuiro Watsuki. I'm just borrowing them for
awhile. This story is set after the Jinchu Arc of the
manga and relies heavily on information gathered in that
arc for those who do not wish to be spoiled.
*****
Part Two
"Huh? Yukishiro Enishi?" Kaoru gasped, nearly dropping the
bucket of tofu. "You saw him talking to Kenshin?"
Yahiko nodded. "He yelled at Kenshin, then gave him
Tomoe's diary and ran off. He called him a bastard and
told him to read the diary."
"He didn't try to fight him?"
"Nuh uh."
Kaoru sighed in relief. "I'm glad. Kenshin's in no shape
to fight someone like Enishi without using Hiten Mitsurugi
Ryu. Megumi-san said it would eventually become
ineffective, but the more he uses it, the faster that time
will come. Better that he uses it as a last resort for as
long as he can."
Yahiko frowned. "It's odd though. Why did Enishi come
back to Tokyo? And why didn't Saitou arrest him?"
"I've learned not to question what Saitou does," Kaoru said
as they walked in the dojo gates. "You can't figure the
man out. Kenshin! Tadima!"
"Eh? Look at that, Kaoru," Yahiko said, pointing to the
porch of the house. Parts of a book lay on the ground with
pages spread around it.
"Huh? It's Tomoe-san's diary!" Kaoru cried, handing the
tofu to Yahiko and running to the remains of the book. She
carefully picked up the loose pages and the pieces of the
diary. "It's been through so much, no wonder it's falling
apart. I'll repair it later tonight."
"Are you gonna read it?" Yahiko asked.
"Baka. I have no right. Whatever's in this diary is
Kenshin's business, not mine."
Yahiko shrugged. "It'd be interesting to see inside the
mind of that woman. I mean, she suddenly goes from wanting
to kill Kenshin to loving him."
"It's not that hard to do," Kaoru whispered. She hugged
the diary to her chest. "I owe it to Tomoe-san to make
sure that her diary is repaired. Still, I wonder why
Kenshin left it out like that?"
"I don't know. Oh, there's a page," Yahiko said, noticing
a piece of paper by the empty laundry tub. He ran across
the yard and snagged it in his fingers. He briefly scanned
the page and started to head back to Kaoru. Something
clicked in his mind and he stared at the page, recognizing
some of the kanji.
"Yahiko!" Kaoru scolded him, walking across the yard with
her arms full of diary papers. "I said that we're not
going to read this."
"Ka...Ka...Kaoru...you've got to see this," Yahiko showed
her the paper. "This might be why Kenshin isn't here."
"Huh?" Kaoru took the paper and started reading the entry.
After a moment, she cried out, the diary pages falling to
the ground once more. "Masaka! She was pregnant?"
"Man, and she didn't tell Kenshin either," Yahiko
whispered, gathering up the diary once more.
"The doctor guessed her to be two months along. Oh,
Yahiko...Kenshin was going to be a father."
"Was. The baby died along with Tomoe."
Kaoru lowered the page. Yahiko was right. Not only did
Kenshin accidentally kill his wife, but he killed their
child as well and didn't even know it until now. She felt
her knee grow weak, and she forced herself to remain
upright. After all they had gone through, could Kenshin
take another blow like this?
Yahiko sighed. "What do you want me to do with the diary?"
"Put it in my room," Kaoru placed the paper she held on the
stack. "I'll repair it. But now, I've got to find
Kenshin."
Yahiko started toward the house, then looked back at Kaoru.
"You don't think he'll start wandering again because of
this, do you?" he asked.
Kaoru hesistated. "I...I don't know. But, wherever he is,
he's got to be hurting terribly right now. When Tomoe
died, he had to bear that pain alone. Now, he has us.
We'll see that he's okay," she managed a smile for Yahiko,
then ran out of the gate.
Yahiko watched Kaoru head down the street. She's changed
from when I first met her, he thought. But, no matter how
good her intentions are or how strong their feelings are
for each other...Yahiko sighed, wishing that Sanosuke was
still around. He deposited the diary in Kaoru's room, then
headed out in search of a carrier piegon.
*****
"Are you sure he hasn't been by here, Tae-san?" Kaoru
asked.
Tae shook her head. "Genzai-sensei and the little girls
were just here, and he wasn't with them. I'm sorry, Kaoru-
chan."
"That's okay. I'll see you soon," Kaoru squeezed her
friend's hand and started to walked away from the Akabeko.
She knew that Kenshin wouldn't stop at the restaraunt, but
he could possibly be seen walking by. She thought for a
moment, then remembered a place where he could be.
Kaoru headed out of town, walking down the main road until
she reached a path. She moved onto the path, and headed
toward the clearing where she and Kenshin had talked prior
to the battle with Enishi. Through the trees, she could
see the glimpses of the clearing.
An intense wave of ki slammed into Kaoru, almost driving
her to her knees. She grabbed hold of a nearby tree trunk
to steady herself. At that moment, a guttural cry of anger
and sorrow filled the air, startling the birds and small
animals to the point that they headed for shelter.
Kaoru's eyes widened. Kenshin...
She stumbled forward and saw Kenshin's hair through the
trees. His sakabatou was unsheathed, and she watched as he
raced forth and with chilling prescion, cut through the
trunks of several small trees, his cries echoing the
efforts of his movements. Kaoru gasped as the tears that
streamed down his cheeks glittered in the sunlight along
with the golden flecks in his violet eyes.
I can't imagine the pain he's in, she thought. I've lost
my father, but it's something entirely different to lose a
child. Kenshin's had to deal with so much pain in the past
year, how much more of it can he take? Before her eyes,
the exhausted rurouni sank to his knees, struggling to
catch his breath.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried, running into the clearing. He
looked back at her just as she tripped and landed on the
ground.
"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said, scrambling to his feet to get
to her side. "Daijobu de gozaru ka?"
"I'm fine," Kaoru got on her knees just as he reached her
side. "I tripped, that's all." She scrutinized Kenshin's
face from his red eyes due to crying to the tension that
etched the corners of his mouth. She reached out and
caressed the cheek with his scars. "Oh, Kenshin, I know
about..."
Before Kaoru could finish telling him about the diary, a
thin, reedy wail filled the air.
The couple startled, then surveyed the area as the cry grew
louder. Kaoru looked back over her shoulder at the place
where she tripped. She could barely see the edges of a
willow basket set low into the weeds.
"That cry, it's coming from over there," Kaoru said,
getting to her feet.
Kenshin laid a hand on her shoulder, then moved past her,
his hand resting on the hilt of his sakabatou. He peered
into the basket, ready to slaughter whatever wild animal
that decided to make dinner of them. His hand dropped from
the sword and he sank to his knees, gripping the sides of
the basket.
"Kenshin? What's wrong?" Kaoru asked, stumbling through
the grass, silently cursing the heavy clothing of her
kimono as she did so. She reached his side and looked in
the basket. She gasped, her hand covering her mouth.
"Masaka...it's a baby!"