Chapter 14- Guardian Angel

Aoshi found himself floating in some kind of white void. "Where.where am I.?" He righted himself to examine his form. No blood dyed his trench coat red. He was free of pain, free of the suffering.

"Aoshi-sama.Aoshi-sama." A voice called to him from afar, but it grew louder as it echoed in his ears.

Instinct told him who it was and he looked about the area. "Misao?"

She came towards him from a distance, a black speck that became more and more visible in the blinding white light. He felt a relieved smile come across his face.

Visions began to flash into his mind. They were those of his old friends. He murmured their names as they passed by. "Hannya.Beshimi."

Misao came into full view, that wide, beautiful smile on her face. "Aoshi- sama!" She reached out with her hand.

Desperately, he reached for it. He was so close! He almost had her within his grasp. "Misao!"

"Papa! Please don't die Papa!"

He froze as that small, squeaky voice rang in his ears. "Genichi."

"Please come back Papa! Don't leave me!"

Aoshi frowned determinedly. He knew what he had to do. The question was, however.how?

He glanced back at Misao, who floated there before him. "Aoshi-sama, it's not time yet." She told him. "You can still make it back!"

"Misao, I."

She smiled, though it was more mature than the first one. "Take care of Genichi. He needs you."

As her words flooded his mind, he felt himself being swept away, back to where he came from. Aoshi took one last look back. Misao now stood there, with their four comrades, as well as her own grandfather. She would wait for him, always.

.......

Kenshin was infuriated now, approaching the killer with his sword drawn. "Whoever you are, I cannot forgive you for this."

Yahiko followed close behind. "Now you have to deal with us, you bastard."

Kenji watched them. "Father?"

"Yeah, that's right! Come at me!" the terrorist challenged, raising his blade to the night sky.

Genichi paid no heed to it all as he sat there in the blood-soaked grass, his face pressed into the back of his father's neck. What he failed to notice was the light twitching of Aoshi's hand.