by Suiren
As I walk into the dojo with Chizuru, Megumi storms past me, head down, tears racing down her cheeks like so many drops of rain in a November storm.
"Megumi?"
She doesn't answer and a few moments later a man chewing on a fishbone walks past us. I blink rapidly and hurry inside, where I'm greeted by Aoshi, Misao, Yahiko, and Tsubame.
"Where is my mother?"
They all avoid my gaze, except for Aoshi who looks up calmly. His voice is flat when he speaks, with no reassurance.
"Your mother passed away today, Kenji."
Those words make everything around me fade away into a haze, and I struggled to stand, but I feel weak.
I'm a warrior, damnit. I'm stronger than this.
My knees, however, prove otherwise, and I fall to the floor. Chizuru kneels next to me and I rest my head weakly against her shoulder. Misao and Yahiko move up to me, kneeling also to look me in the eyes.
"At least she's not in pain anymore, Kenji."
"Misao has a point. I'm sure she's in a better place."
"I wanted...to say...goodbye...and tell her..." I murmur slowly. I'm sure Chizuru thinks I sound like an idiot because of the pauses between my words.
"She knows, Kenji, she knows." Whispers the pretty girl as she pats my back reassuringly. Slowly I find the strength to stand, and I head towards my room.
"Where are you going, Kenji?!" Yahiko asks, surprised.
"Someone has to tell Hiko..."
~*~Kenshin's POV~*~
I start walking up to the ship with Akira by my side and pretty soon we stand at its gates. The whole place is a haze of flame and smoke and smells of both brimstone and blood. Even the people, on all decks, are surrounded by flame and appear to be a combination of humans and skeletons, as if their lives were brought back halfway through decay. Akira grits his teeth and takes a step forward, and I watch his eyes widen as he begins to stumble forward. Suddenly, I'm struck by an odd flashback.
Kenshin and Kaoru are seen sitting in some grass, on a warm spring day with a light breeze. Kenshin reclines against a tree, he is resting and still wounded from his battle with Shishio, and they sit silently enjoying eachother's company until Kaoru speaks.
"I'm glad you came back, Kenshin."
"Me too, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin replies.
"I didn't want to be alone again.." she murmurs, plucking nervously at the soft strands of grass. "I don't think I could handle it."
"Why is that, Kaoru-dono? I would always come back to you and protect you." Kenshin says after a moment of thought.
"My idea of hell...is being alone in this world...without my friends..or my family.."
She doesn't add the unspoken words, but they linger in Kenshin's mind.
My friends... or my family...or you...
"I would never leave you alone, Kaoru."
I snap out of it, and realize Akira is now walking blindly into the ship filled with people and sinners, being surrounded and swallowed up by them. I charge after him, realizing that there's no way in hell -- no pun intended -- that I'm going to let Tomoe lose her happiness twice.
"NO, AKIRA!! SHE'S NOT IN THERE!"
I grab his shoulders roughly and force him back towards the entrance while becoming quickly surrounded by the people onboard the ship. I manage to fend them off until I too can make it out of the gate. Those few moments on the ship were pure insanity, and I gaze at Akira wide-eyed as he stands next to another, smaller gate, leading to some sort of primative elevator.
"In hell, there's real danger. Of losing your mind." He murmurs, stepping onto the platform. I follow him. "Going down."
~*~Yahiko's POV~*~
"Kenji."
"Don't argue with me. I'm going." He says, standing up, and he brushes past me to gather his things. I see the girl stare after his back and it almost makes me smile.
Tsubame used to look at me like that...I never noticed it before.
"Excuse me miss...but who are you?"
She snaps out of it and looks up at me with a small smile.
"Raikouji Chizuru."
We in turn introduce ourselves ((A/N--you know the names, people. geez.)) and I find myself doing something that could be considered a Kenshin-ism. I'm glad his personality rubbed off on me, even if I'm not worthy.
"Can I talk to you for a moment, please?"
She nods and we quickly excuse ourselves, and I smile at Tsubame, indicating for her to come too -- leaving Aoshi and Misao alone.
"Have a seat." I say once we get outside, and I lean against the wall Kenshin-style as I sit across from her. Tsubame kneels at my side and I reach for her hand, letting its gentle warmth continue to comfort me.
"I'm glad that Kenji has found a friend in you." I start off, and she blushes a little bit, bowing her head -- girls seem to think that hides the redness, but really, it doesn't.
"No, really." I say sincerely, and she looks up at me. Words seem to come from me from nowhere. "He's going to have a rough time with things for a while, feeling like he's all alone and the world's against him. He has great potential, and great strength, but he won't be able to control it with all these emotions whirling around him. The more he holds it in, the worse it will be. He might lash out at others in anger because he'll feel it's unfair -- I know I do -- I would have given my life to keep Kenshin and Kaoru alive to live to a happy old age. But fortunately," I pause, and look over at Tsubame, "I have someone close to me who can be there for me. Kenji, if he doesn't let anyone close to him, will be like a sword without a sheath."
I feel surprisingly serious, wondering where I got this analogy from, and pause for breath.
"Will you be his sheath?"
She stares at me blankly for a moment, and then nods with a shaky voice. "H-hai. Demo...my parents won't let me go with him..."
"No...he needs to make that trip on his own. When he gets back though.."
She nods. "Yes. I'll be there for him."
I smile. "Good."
~*~Sanosuke's POV~*~
Damn that fox! No other woman's had me out searching like this for her before.
Then again, there aren't any with Megumi's legs, either.
I snicker at the thought and continue searching, finding her standing beneath a cherry tree in front of a grave. Kenshin's grave. I listen to her talk to herself for a moment.
"Ken-san...I'm so sorry...I couldn't stay awake...and she killed herself...I didn't stop her. I..It's...my fault."
"You're not very wise for a fox, you know that?"
She turns around and fixes a crimson glare on me, and I shoot her a soft smile.
"Megumi." I say quietly, surprised I didn't use the normal nickname, and I can tell she is too, because her eyes widened slightly. "They're in a better place."
"How do you know?"
I shrugged. "I just do, Megumi. That's the best answer I can give you."
"It's not very comforting." She muttered between tears, and I reach up to wipe the tears away from her face.
"The best comfort doesn't come in words, Megumi."
She stares at me, and I pull her towards me quickly, taking advantage of her silence in a sudden embrace. She starts to sob into my shoulder, and I let her do so until she's gotten it all out -- and gotten my shirt more than a little wet. I tilt her face up to look into her eyes.
"I know I wasn't here when you needed me, Kitsune," I say, watching her eyes narrow at the old nickname as I hurry to continue, "But I'm here for you now."
I lean over and brush my lips gently against hers, fully expecting to get slapped or yelled at or teased for stupidity, but it's worth it. To my surprise, she leans into me and reluctantly draws away for breath.
"Aishiteru, fox."
"Aishiteru, rooster."
I shoot her a weak smile, which she returns, and we head back to the dojo. My grief for Kenshin is lightened, and perhaps hers is too -- not because the burden is any less, but because we share the weight with eachother.
~*~Misao's POV~*~
I'm left alone with Aoshi-sama and as I look up at him, I catch the smile he has in his eyes -- it's hard to get him to smile normally, but if you know what you're looking for you can find it in the way he looks at you when he's happy or amused. This smile though, was a weak one -- one just for me, for my sake alone, because I see right through it to the sadness beneath.
"Aoshi-sama.."
"What?"
I lean into him, resting my head against my husband's broad, strong chest. "It'll be okay."
I think he smiled for real that time, even if for just a fleeting moment, and he pulled me close.
"Yeah, Misao, it will."
"As long as I have you with me."
~*~Kenshin/Shinta's POV, because author needs a break from waff.~*~
We step off at a floor made entirely of a sea of faces, crowded together. Some weep, some complain, still others stand silent. I thought hell was going to be warm, but it's cold here, and gray. The faces merge against eachother and I have no idea how to find Kaoru in this mess as my golden eyes flicker from face to face.
I step off, trying to avoid the people who moan and groan with every step I make.
"Son?! Son! It's you!"
I hear someone exclaim and I look down at the man below me.
"Father...?"
The face is unfamiliar and he blinks and shakes his head. I'm not his son.
"No...that bastard ran away years ago."
He mutters, calling Akira his son too as the other man passes. My thoughts go back to Kaoru, and I'm struck by another flashback.
"Kenshin...come with me to the festival!" Kaoru whines, pouting in front of him. "Yahiko and Sanosuke are being stupid!"
Kenshin looks up at her, staring at the girl who quickly was becoming a woman, and an irresistible one, in front of his eyes.
"Why? You'll have fun on your own."
"I don't like being by myself. It's like being alone in a sea of faces."
"Very well, Kaoru-dono. I'll accompany you."
My eyes flash open and my golden gaze locks onto a dirty, tear stained face many feet away. It's Kaoru, pale and miserable, and sad...but it's my Kaoru and that's all that matters. I hear Akira yell at me.
"No, Kenshin! Wait!"
But my feet have already sprung into action, carrying me with superhuman speed to her. Two steps away, something completely unexpected happens. The ground gives way beneath my feet. I extend my arms towards Kaoru, but it does no good, I am falling, falling..
"KAORU-DONO!!!"
A/N: Lotsa mushiness, but at least I left you with a cliffhanger. *cackles*
--suiren