Mirai
Disclaimer: Sessha does not own the anime rurouni kenshin or any of it's character.
'Although it would be nice too....* sniff sniff *'
They all belong to the great Watsuki Nobuhiro.
p/s: In case anyone missed it, I did some changes to the end of the previous chapter.
Journey
Kaoru stood in the doorway, drying her hair with a towel.
"What happened?" Then something dawned on her when she looked around the room, and realized
that Kenji was not here.
"eh? Kenji wa doko?(1)"
Kenshin turned around and handed the note to Kaoru before walking out of the room. He
walked down the hallway, back to the room he shared with Kaoru. Halfway down the hall, he
heard someone cry, for some reason, it sounded like it was very far away.
Kenshin pushed his thoughts away, concentrating on the main objective now.
'Why is it that trouble still follows me? Even after so many years.' The former hitokiri
kneeled on the floor, sitting in front of sakabatou, sitting idly on its stand.
Without a second thought, Kenshin placed his hand on the sheath of the sword, before picking
up to tie at his waist.
"Kenshin..." Kaoru stood in the doorway, eyes red from crying.
Soujirou came up from behind Kaoru. He entered the room and stood between the couple.
"Gomenasai. Honto ni gomenasai." The boy bowed to both the battousai and his wife.
"It's not your fault." The older man walked passed the boy, to Kaoru. He whispered something
to her, before walking past her, leaving the girl weeping.
"Kaoru-san. Honto ni sumanai. I promise I will get him back for you." The former tenken said,
before making his way to catch up with Kenshin.
"Kaoru, where are they going?" Yahiko came up from behind Kaoru, letting her lean against
him for support, before sitting her down on the futon.
The girl did not say anything, all she did was open her clench fist, and gave the crumpled
piece or tear-stained paper to the younger boy.
Yahiko glanced through the note. The first word he saw was the answer to his question.
"Kyoto...?" Yahiko whispered, before he bounded out of the room, running as fast as his
legs could carry him. 'Sanosuke, please be there...'
Kaoru, now alone in the dojo, cried as she rocked herself back and forth, trying to calm
herself down.
"Himura-san, matte!" Soujirou ran up to the red headed samurai, hoping that the older man
would accept his help.
Kenshin turned around at the sound of his name. He saw a smiling boy, trying to catch up
with him.
"Soujirou?"
"Himura-san." Soujirou took a few breaths before finishing his sentence. "I know who
Hijikata is, Shishio-san knew him, and..."
"I know him to. He was also a shadow assassin for the Isshin Shishi, like Shishio and I
were during the war."
Soujirou took one last deep breath before pacing himself with Kenshin.
Just minutes later, Kenshin and Soujirou had reached a path, one leading to an old friend's
home, the other to the outskirts of town.
Kenshin turned, taking the route to Sanosuke's house first.
"Ano, Himura-san. Doko iku no? (2)" Soujirou said, a little puzzled at why he was headed
the other direction.
"I need to pick up a friend." The older man smiled once, before turning to continue walking.
Soujirou said nothing. He just followed closely behind the other man.
"NANI!" the ex Zanza stood up suddenly as Yahiko filled him in on what had just happened.
Tsunan held on to the cups that were on the floor, which would have fallen over if he had
not done so.
"Yes, he's just left, so we might be able to catch up with him if we leave now." Yahiko
urged the street fighter to hurry and get his things ready.
Yahiko only had his shinai with him, it was also all he needed. He tapped his fingers on
the doorframe, waiting impatiently for the chicken-head to get ready, when he felt a pat
on his back.
The young boy spun on the balls of his feet, shinai drawn and ready to strike. To his
surprise, he found Kenshin and Soujirou standing in front of him.
"Where's Sano?" Kenshin asked as he placed his hand on the tip of Yahiko's shinai and
pushed it down.
"Oi, Yahiko, who's there?" a voice came from inside the house, it sounded a bit muffled.
"Kenshin..." Yahiko said as he stood there, shocked.
Sanosuke suddenly came up from behind the boy, bag in hand.
Both Kenshin and Sanosuke nodded at each other.
"Let's go." Sanosuke said, before he turned around to face the other former Sekihoutai
member. "Tsunan, remember to look after things here while we're gone."
"Aa." Tsunan waved to the group, before walking off to his own home.
"So, it's just the four of us?" Sanosuke asked, chewing on a fishbone in his mouth. *Old
habits die hard, ne?*
"Aa. Sorry for dragging you into this Yahiko." Kenshin said, not turning to face the boy.
"It's alright. We'll all do anything to get Kenji back, ne?" The boy replied.
"Hai." Soujirou spoke for the first time since they had left the former zanza's home.
"Soujirou, you said you knew Hijikata just awhile ago, right?" Kenshin asked.
"Hai. I met him once, a very long time ago when Shishio-san sent me to give something to
him." The boy's smile widened as he recalled the man. "He was very generous and kind, he
actually offered me to stay at his place after the long journey I took to get to his place,
and...What?"
His other traveling companions jaw's almost drop at the statement.
The man which Soujirou had just described was anything but kind and generous. To Kenshin,
he was cold and always quiet. Although he did not look like a swordsman at all because he
was very thin and small built like Kenshin is, he was a master in his trade. He handled his
sword with the grace and elegance of a swan. Kenshin wondered if Soujirou talking about the
same man he had in mind?
"You are telling us that you knew this man, when did you intend of telling us?" Sanosuke
stopped in his tracks, waiting for an answer.
"We already know, he told us part of this earlier." Yahiko turned and continued walking
backwards, to keep up with Kenshin and Soujirou. Just after he stuck out his tongue at the
street fighter, he somehow managed to trip over the root of a tree.
Sanosuke laughed, while he just watched the other two men help the boy up.
The sun was setting, and they were still in the forest. Soujirou went to gather some
firewood, while Kenshin and the rest were trying very hard to get some fish for dinner.
"Aahh..." Soujirou wiped the sweat off his face. He placed the firewood on the ground, as
he watched as the other 'fished'.
The boy laughed, all three men who had heard him, turned around, only to find Soujirou,
laughing hysterically on the ground.
Sanosuke was drenched from falling into the river twice. Yahiko too. Kenshin as the only
one who was still standing dry, but he too had not yet caught any fish.
"Stop laughing, if you think it's so easy, why don't you come and try." Sanosuke shouted,
not realizing that Yahiko was standing right in front of him.
"OI, what are you trying to do, get me deaf?" The younger boy pounced on the man.
"Hai hai." Soujirou moved forward, still giggling, until he noticed Kenshin, who was still
trying to catch a fish. 'He must still be thinking about Kenji and Kaoru san.'
Soujirou walked towards the river, scanning through the water to find out where the fishes
were.
Both Sanosuke and Yahiko had stopped fighting, both watched on as the tenken jumped onto
some rocks in the middle of the river. Kenshin soon walked to join them.
Soujirou drew his katana, slowly raising is above the water, before swiftly stabbing into
the water. When he withdrew it from the now blood-stained water, a fish was wriggling on
the sword's tip.
Both Sanosuke and Yahiko stood wide eyed on the bank.
Soujirou smiled at them, before going back to catching them their dinner.
"Where did you learn that?" Yahiko asked the other smiling man beside him.
"There are some very useful skills you tend to pick up along the way when you travel, ne
Himura-san." Soujirou glanced over to Kenshin.
"Aa." Kenshin smiled at his friends, before going back to making the fire.
A moment of silence past as all four of them waited for the fishes to cook.
Just before, Soujirou was picked to clean the fishes, and now, his hands smell like them,
even after washing them in the cold water of the river. Sanosuke and Yahiko had taken the
liberty of shoving him into the water, while Kenshin giggled at the sight of Soujirou
coming back to camp to sit by the fire to dry off.
Soujirou watched as the fire danced around the fishes, burning it once in a while. He then
went on to staring that the water which was still dripping down his fringe.
Yahiko and Sanosuke were at it again. Both were arguing over almost everything. From who
gets to eat the biggest fish, to who can hold their breath the longest. (???)
'This is going to be a very long trip to Kyoto...' Kenshin thought as he looked at a very
concerned Soujirou who was trying very hard to get Yahiko to give up.
"Himura-san, stop crying and tell me what happened."
The former captain of the Shinsengumi never thought that in a million years, would he have
to sit and listen to a girl like that, not even his wife, let alone beg her to stop crying
so he could make out what she was saying.
"H-hai. Gomen ne." Kaoru held herself together, trying her best to stop her tears from
flowing.
"Now, tell me what happened."
The girl just plainly handed the note over to Saitoh. Some of the words were smudged from
the tears, but it was still readable, most of it anyway.
~
Hitokiri Battousai, if you want the boy back, come to Edo. Bring as many of your friends
along, I don't care. I'll be waiting.
~
The name of the writer was smudged so badly, Saitoh could not make it out.
He thanked Kaoru, before seeing himself out of her dojo.
"Kaoru, pull yourself together." Megumi was getting worried. Kaoru has been mopping around
the dojo for the past few days.
Kaoru did not answer, all she did was stare at the wall on the other side of the room.
"Are you even listening to me? Go to Kyoto and look for them." The female doctor prodded
her shoulder, bringing her back to reality.
"What?"
"Go. To. Kyoto." Megumi said it slowly as if she was talking to a baby.
"You're right." Kaoru shook Megumi happily.
"I am?"
"Yes, since I know the first place that they would go to once they arrive in Kyoto, I can
catch a ship to Kyoto and make it there to meet them. Arigatou Megumi-san." Kaoru walked
out of the room to pack, leaving Megumi wishing that she had never said anything.
~A few days later at Sherry Babies~
"Aah, we're here. I wonder if we should have contacted them first to tell them that we
would have been arriving." Kenshin said to his friends.
Soujirou walked with his head down, hoping that no one would recognize him, or at least
hope that they don't remember what he did.
All four walked through the door of the place.
"Kaoru-chan, if you don't mind, could you please clear that table." Omasu said, into a very
familiar girl's ear.
"Busu!" Yahiko shouted as he pointed at the girl in an apron.
Kaoru turned and saw her 'family' standing that the door.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru ignored Yahiko as she ran across the room to her friends.
"Himura san!" Omasu greeted their new guests.
"Kaoru, what are you doing here? It's going to be dangerous, didn't I tell you stay in
Tokyo?" Kenshin asked as Kaoru hugged him.
"I want to help. If Yahiko can fight along side with you, I want to too. I not some
helpless little girl anymore, not that I ever was, but..."She stopped mid-sentence, taking
a deep breath.
"Himura-san. Welcome, may I talk to you." An old man came out from behind Omasu.
"Okina-san. What are you doing out of bed. You might injure your back again." A girl came
out from behind the man.
"Hikaru-chan. I told you I'm fine. Look." Okina begin 'dancing' around the room.
* crack *
"Okina-san. Daijoubu." Hikaru said, poking the old man, who had paused in his steps, with
his back bent in what looks like a very painful position.
"help..." Okina whispered.
Kenshin took the liberty of straightening the man's back for him.
* crack *
"Ah...this way." Okina said, leading the Kenshin gumi and Soujirou to a room.
~*~*~*~*~
1) Kenji wa doko? : Where is Kenji?
2) Doko iku no? : Where are you going?
~*~*~*~*~
Hehehe...sweatdrop...gomen minna-san, it seems i mixed up the names again...hehe...
arigatou for telling me...
I know...kyoto again...* all the trouble seems to come from Kyoto *...ahh...so, pls r&r,
ne...onegai...hehe...Arigatou minna-san!!
Disclaimer: Sessha does not own the anime rurouni kenshin or any of it's character.
'Although it would be nice too....* sniff sniff *'
They all belong to the great Watsuki Nobuhiro.
p/s: In case anyone missed it, I did some changes to the end of the previous chapter.
Journey
Kaoru stood in the doorway, drying her hair with a towel.
"What happened?" Then something dawned on her when she looked around the room, and realized
that Kenji was not here.
"eh? Kenji wa doko?(1)"
Kenshin turned around and handed the note to Kaoru before walking out of the room. He
walked down the hallway, back to the room he shared with Kaoru. Halfway down the hall, he
heard someone cry, for some reason, it sounded like it was very far away.
Kenshin pushed his thoughts away, concentrating on the main objective now.
'Why is it that trouble still follows me? Even after so many years.' The former hitokiri
kneeled on the floor, sitting in front of sakabatou, sitting idly on its stand.
Without a second thought, Kenshin placed his hand on the sheath of the sword, before picking
up to tie at his waist.
"Kenshin..." Kaoru stood in the doorway, eyes red from crying.
Soujirou came up from behind Kaoru. He entered the room and stood between the couple.
"Gomenasai. Honto ni gomenasai." The boy bowed to both the battousai and his wife.
"It's not your fault." The older man walked passed the boy, to Kaoru. He whispered something
to her, before walking past her, leaving the girl weeping.
"Kaoru-san. Honto ni sumanai. I promise I will get him back for you." The former tenken said,
before making his way to catch up with Kenshin.
"Kaoru, where are they going?" Yahiko came up from behind Kaoru, letting her lean against
him for support, before sitting her down on the futon.
The girl did not say anything, all she did was open her clench fist, and gave the crumpled
piece or tear-stained paper to the younger boy.
Yahiko glanced through the note. The first word he saw was the answer to his question.
"Kyoto...?" Yahiko whispered, before he bounded out of the room, running as fast as his
legs could carry him. 'Sanosuke, please be there...'
Kaoru, now alone in the dojo, cried as she rocked herself back and forth, trying to calm
herself down.
"Himura-san, matte!" Soujirou ran up to the red headed samurai, hoping that the older man
would accept his help.
Kenshin turned around at the sound of his name. He saw a smiling boy, trying to catch up
with him.
"Soujirou?"
"Himura-san." Soujirou took a few breaths before finishing his sentence. "I know who
Hijikata is, Shishio-san knew him, and..."
"I know him to. He was also a shadow assassin for the Isshin Shishi, like Shishio and I
were during the war."
Soujirou took one last deep breath before pacing himself with Kenshin.
Just minutes later, Kenshin and Soujirou had reached a path, one leading to an old friend's
home, the other to the outskirts of town.
Kenshin turned, taking the route to Sanosuke's house first.
"Ano, Himura-san. Doko iku no? (2)" Soujirou said, a little puzzled at why he was headed
the other direction.
"I need to pick up a friend." The older man smiled once, before turning to continue walking.
Soujirou said nothing. He just followed closely behind the other man.
"NANI!" the ex Zanza stood up suddenly as Yahiko filled him in on what had just happened.
Tsunan held on to the cups that were on the floor, which would have fallen over if he had
not done so.
"Yes, he's just left, so we might be able to catch up with him if we leave now." Yahiko
urged the street fighter to hurry and get his things ready.
Yahiko only had his shinai with him, it was also all he needed. He tapped his fingers on
the doorframe, waiting impatiently for the chicken-head to get ready, when he felt a pat
on his back.
The young boy spun on the balls of his feet, shinai drawn and ready to strike. To his
surprise, he found Kenshin and Soujirou standing in front of him.
"Where's Sano?" Kenshin asked as he placed his hand on the tip of Yahiko's shinai and
pushed it down.
"Oi, Yahiko, who's there?" a voice came from inside the house, it sounded a bit muffled.
"Kenshin..." Yahiko said as he stood there, shocked.
Sanosuke suddenly came up from behind the boy, bag in hand.
Both Kenshin and Sanosuke nodded at each other.
"Let's go." Sanosuke said, before he turned around to face the other former Sekihoutai
member. "Tsunan, remember to look after things here while we're gone."
"Aa." Tsunan waved to the group, before walking off to his own home.
"So, it's just the four of us?" Sanosuke asked, chewing on a fishbone in his mouth. *Old
habits die hard, ne?*
"Aa. Sorry for dragging you into this Yahiko." Kenshin said, not turning to face the boy.
"It's alright. We'll all do anything to get Kenji back, ne?" The boy replied.
"Hai." Soujirou spoke for the first time since they had left the former zanza's home.
"Soujirou, you said you knew Hijikata just awhile ago, right?" Kenshin asked.
"Hai. I met him once, a very long time ago when Shishio-san sent me to give something to
him." The boy's smile widened as he recalled the man. "He was very generous and kind, he
actually offered me to stay at his place after the long journey I took to get to his place,
and...What?"
His other traveling companions jaw's almost drop at the statement.
The man which Soujirou had just described was anything but kind and generous. To Kenshin,
he was cold and always quiet. Although he did not look like a swordsman at all because he
was very thin and small built like Kenshin is, he was a master in his trade. He handled his
sword with the grace and elegance of a swan. Kenshin wondered if Soujirou talking about the
same man he had in mind?
"You are telling us that you knew this man, when did you intend of telling us?" Sanosuke
stopped in his tracks, waiting for an answer.
"We already know, he told us part of this earlier." Yahiko turned and continued walking
backwards, to keep up with Kenshin and Soujirou. Just after he stuck out his tongue at the
street fighter, he somehow managed to trip over the root of a tree.
Sanosuke laughed, while he just watched the other two men help the boy up.
The sun was setting, and they were still in the forest. Soujirou went to gather some
firewood, while Kenshin and the rest were trying very hard to get some fish for dinner.
"Aahh..." Soujirou wiped the sweat off his face. He placed the firewood on the ground, as
he watched as the other 'fished'.
The boy laughed, all three men who had heard him, turned around, only to find Soujirou,
laughing hysterically on the ground.
Sanosuke was drenched from falling into the river twice. Yahiko too. Kenshin as the only
one who was still standing dry, but he too had not yet caught any fish.
"Stop laughing, if you think it's so easy, why don't you come and try." Sanosuke shouted,
not realizing that Yahiko was standing right in front of him.
"OI, what are you trying to do, get me deaf?" The younger boy pounced on the man.
"Hai hai." Soujirou moved forward, still giggling, until he noticed Kenshin, who was still
trying to catch a fish. 'He must still be thinking about Kenji and Kaoru san.'
Soujirou walked towards the river, scanning through the water to find out where the fishes
were.
Both Sanosuke and Yahiko had stopped fighting, both watched on as the tenken jumped onto
some rocks in the middle of the river. Kenshin soon walked to join them.
Soujirou drew his katana, slowly raising is above the water, before swiftly stabbing into
the water. When he withdrew it from the now blood-stained water, a fish was wriggling on
the sword's tip.
Both Sanosuke and Yahiko stood wide eyed on the bank.
Soujirou smiled at them, before going back to catching them their dinner.
"Where did you learn that?" Yahiko asked the other smiling man beside him.
"There are some very useful skills you tend to pick up along the way when you travel, ne
Himura-san." Soujirou glanced over to Kenshin.
"Aa." Kenshin smiled at his friends, before going back to making the fire.
A moment of silence past as all four of them waited for the fishes to cook.
Just before, Soujirou was picked to clean the fishes, and now, his hands smell like them,
even after washing them in the cold water of the river. Sanosuke and Yahiko had taken the
liberty of shoving him into the water, while Kenshin giggled at the sight of Soujirou
coming back to camp to sit by the fire to dry off.
Soujirou watched as the fire danced around the fishes, burning it once in a while. He then
went on to staring that the water which was still dripping down his fringe.
Yahiko and Sanosuke were at it again. Both were arguing over almost everything. From who
gets to eat the biggest fish, to who can hold their breath the longest. (???)
'This is going to be a very long trip to Kyoto...' Kenshin thought as he looked at a very
concerned Soujirou who was trying very hard to get Yahiko to give up.
"Himura-san, stop crying and tell me what happened."
The former captain of the Shinsengumi never thought that in a million years, would he have
to sit and listen to a girl like that, not even his wife, let alone beg her to stop crying
so he could make out what she was saying.
"H-hai. Gomen ne." Kaoru held herself together, trying her best to stop her tears from
flowing.
"Now, tell me what happened."
The girl just plainly handed the note over to Saitoh. Some of the words were smudged from
the tears, but it was still readable, most of it anyway.
~
Hitokiri Battousai, if you want the boy back, come to Edo. Bring as many of your friends
along, I don't care. I'll be waiting.
~
The name of the writer was smudged so badly, Saitoh could not make it out.
He thanked Kaoru, before seeing himself out of her dojo.
"Kaoru, pull yourself together." Megumi was getting worried. Kaoru has been mopping around
the dojo for the past few days.
Kaoru did not answer, all she did was stare at the wall on the other side of the room.
"Are you even listening to me? Go to Kyoto and look for them." The female doctor prodded
her shoulder, bringing her back to reality.
"What?"
"Go. To. Kyoto." Megumi said it slowly as if she was talking to a baby.
"You're right." Kaoru shook Megumi happily.
"I am?"
"Yes, since I know the first place that they would go to once they arrive in Kyoto, I can
catch a ship to Kyoto and make it there to meet them. Arigatou Megumi-san." Kaoru walked
out of the room to pack, leaving Megumi wishing that she had never said anything.
~A few days later at Sherry Babies~
"Aah, we're here. I wonder if we should have contacted them first to tell them that we
would have been arriving." Kenshin said to his friends.
Soujirou walked with his head down, hoping that no one would recognize him, or at least
hope that they don't remember what he did.
All four walked through the door of the place.
"Kaoru-chan, if you don't mind, could you please clear that table." Omasu said, into a very
familiar girl's ear.
"Busu!" Yahiko shouted as he pointed at the girl in an apron.
Kaoru turned and saw her 'family' standing that the door.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru ignored Yahiko as she ran across the room to her friends.
"Himura san!" Omasu greeted their new guests.
"Kaoru, what are you doing here? It's going to be dangerous, didn't I tell you stay in
Tokyo?" Kenshin asked as Kaoru hugged him.
"I want to help. If Yahiko can fight along side with you, I want to too. I not some
helpless little girl anymore, not that I ever was, but..."She stopped mid-sentence, taking
a deep breath.
"Himura-san. Welcome, may I talk to you." An old man came out from behind Omasu.
"Okina-san. What are you doing out of bed. You might injure your back again." A girl came
out from behind the man.
"Hikaru-chan. I told you I'm fine. Look." Okina begin 'dancing' around the room.
* crack *
"Okina-san. Daijoubu." Hikaru said, poking the old man, who had paused in his steps, with
his back bent in what looks like a very painful position.
"help..." Okina whispered.
Kenshin took the liberty of straightening the man's back for him.
* crack *
"Ah...this way." Okina said, leading the Kenshin gumi and Soujirou to a room.
~*~*~*~*~
1) Kenji wa doko? : Where is Kenji?
2) Doko iku no? : Where are you going?
~*~*~*~*~
Hehehe...sweatdrop...gomen minna-san, it seems i mixed up the names again...hehe...
arigatou for telling me...
I know...kyoto again...* all the trouble seems to come from Kyoto *...ahh...so, pls r&r,
ne...onegai...hehe...Arigatou minna-san!!
