Disclaimer: you know it, I know it, the owners of RK know, it. That all rights belong to them, not me. Just borrowing the character, nothing else.
As the sun began to set and the river current slowed, Yahiko was pulled out of his trance by Kenji's voice. "Okaasan?"
Yahiko looked up at the boy that stood between him and Kaoru now.
"You didn't come back to the dojo. So I came to look for you." Kenji crouched down and looked at his mother.
Her head hung low now, and her hair created a curtain around her face and around Kenshin's face in her lap.
Yahiko sighed. He had felt her let go about an hour ago, but made no movement, no effort to revive her. He just sat and felt empty and alone.
Kenji moved the curtain of his mother's hair and called her again.
"I'm sorry Kenji." Yahiko placed a hand on the boy's shoulder as he fell to the ground. The boy didn't cry. He simply kept his face down, his eyes shadowed by his red locks.
"We should probably get them back to the house and have them prepared to be buried." Kenji's voice was low and monotonous.
Yahiko felt sorry that the boy couldn't express how he was feeling. He would have taken him in his arms and asked him to cry, but it would do no good. The boy would cope in whatever way he could, and tears would follow when the time was appropriate.
Slowly Yahiko rose and went to the two lifeless forms, picking up Kenshin's body. Kenji followed his example and gathered his mother's petit figure in his arms, never really letting his eyes look at her face.
Together, they walked to the dojo in silence.
A few days later:
Yahiko collapsed on the unfolded futon in the Kamiya home. He was exhausted from the past days events. He had been sending out notices and making arrangements for Kaoru and Kenshin's burial that he hardly had any time to be with his own thoughts.
They had the funeral today and buried the couple behind the dojo in a spot where they could here the sounds of the river flowing. Many people were there including many of Kamiya Kasshin students and an assortment of police officers and townspeople that Kenshin and Kaoru managed to touch in their lives.
The only person who had not been in attendance was Sanosuke. But his last letter said he would be on a boat back to Japan in a few days and sent well wishes to them all. Yahiko didn't know how he would break it to Sano that Kaoru and Kenshin died before his return. But he was sure that he would take comfort in knowing that they didn't leave this world without seeing each other once more. Yahiko also asked Megumi to stay in Tokyo until Sano arrived, so that maybe she could help him get through it. So that they could help each other.
Yahiko sighed. Tomorrow was another long day. Yahiko was moving back into the Kamiya compound for good. He was Kenji's guardian now and Master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, or he would be once he opens the school again.
Feeling weariness wash over him, he went to turn out the light when he spotted the sheet of paper on the desk and remembered his unfinished letter from the day Kenshin returned.
He picked it up and scanned his words. "Life is so unexpected." He murmured to himself.
Suddenly he forgot about his exhaustion and took a seat at the table, picking up his pen and resuming his letter.
Happen. Things just happen. Like the events of that day just happened. I think Kaoru knew that it was the day the both of you would meet again and leave this world forever. That's why she said goodbye, and I wish that I had the chance to say goodbye to you like I had intended. But you were gone before I got that chance.
So I guess now is as good a time as any.
Yahiko continued to write, the words just pouring from his pen onto the paper. Years of thoughts that were never verbalized. Everything her wanted Kenshin to know he wrote. When he finished, he took the paper, folding it into thirds he went out to the gravestones. He knelt before Kenshin's grave and leaned the paper against the head stone. He whispered a short prayer to the both of them and went back into the house, thoughts from the letter still swirling in his head.
Kenshin, I owe my life to you. I owe it to you as much as I owe it to Kaoru. The two of you are my saviors, and I will spend my lifetime trying to pay for your kindness. Your good heart and strength bled into me. I wanted to be you so bad. You were the figure which I strived to attain. You did good in the world. No matter how much you believed you made the world suffer, you really saved it. You brought a new era to Japan, an era that does not have to live by the blood on a sword. You have made the world safe. Your son will grow in a world where he is not expected to fight. But if Kenji is anything like you, he will fight, he will fight to protect what you created. There aren't enough thanks I could express to you for all you have done for this world and for me. I only hope to be half the man you are.
And as for all I have said about you being foolish, it was out of fear. Fear that Kaoru would live forever in sadness. But I see now that she was never sad because she had your love. She was not waiting in pain, and holding on because of love. As you did. You traveled a long way in horrible condition just to see her again. Because she is your smile and you are her smile. So it seems that maybe I shouldn't be mourning the two of you. But instead I should be happy that you found each other once more and are together. A love like that is once in a generation. I think the both of you deserved it.
So this is my goodbye to you Kenshin. My goodbye filled with reverence, understanding, and promises. I promise to take care of Kenji, because he is your son, and I will make sure he knows the good man his father was. I promise to protect this era you helped to create so that your sword was not used in vain. I promise that I will care for people with the same heart that you cared with, and I will carry you within me forever.
Goodbye Kenshin. May happiness forever be in your heart, because you, most of all, deserve it.
Love,
Myojin (Himura- Kamiya) Yahiko
A/N: That's it. Few that took a while to upload, but at least now I don't have to worry about it later. I hope you enjoyed it. This is my close to the RK series. Thanks for reading. (post-facto reviews still very welcome!)