glossary:
komban wa = good evening
sou ka? = is that so?
iie = no
uso yo = that's a lie!
hontou wa = that is true.
nani = what?
sessha = literally "this unworthy/lowly one"... Kenshin the Rurouni referring to himself in a very humble way
Mite de gozaru ka? = Do you see?
Masaka! = "Impossible!" or "It can't be!"
Kinou no Kakera (A Piece of Yesterday)
by Mirune Keishiko
Five: A Doctor's Hands, a Woman's Heart
There he was.
Just as she had expected.
Megumi hid a smile as she walked in through the gate and approached the slight figure that sat silent and upright on the porch. Warm yellow light from a nearby lamp illuminated the faded red gi and worn white hakama, the graceful arc and polished steel and wood of the sheathed sakabatou.
Megumi stopped several paces from Kenshin and bowed. "Komban wa, Ken-san."
"Komban wa, Megumi-dono," Kenshin replied warmly. "You're out late tonight."
"There was an emergency at the clinic, and I thought I'd drop by on my way home." /Not to mention that Sanosuke stopped by the clinic a
few hours ago and told me everything,/ thought Megumi. At Kenshin's gesture, she knelt down beside him on the porch with a nod of thanks. "All alone out here? Where's Yahiko-chan?" Her tones were light, teasing.
"He's in his room, asleep."
"And what are *you* staying up for, Ken-san?" Megumi asked coyly. "Daijoubu ka? You don't look entirely at ease."
Kenshin smiled, his deep violet eyes large and serene. "Everything is fine, Megumi-dono. Everything" -- he seemed to correct himself --
"is as it should be."
"Sou ka?"
Megumi had lost her flirtatious tone. She watched Kenshin intently, soberly, watched the lamplight play across his thoughtful face in soft
flickering yellow. Perhaps aware of her scrutiny, Kenshin smiled slightly and indicated the teapot that sat on a tray near him. Megumi shook her head, wordlessly declining his offer.
Kenshin sipped his tea and said nothing. The breeze picked up, singing softly to itself among the bamboo. Out in the street, the footfalls and shouts of late-night revelers came echoing to their ears, fading slowly away into the distance.
Megumi sighed.
"Kaoru-chan still hasn't come home yet?"
Kenshin put down his cup, shaking his head. "Iie. But Niimi-san will take good care of her, I know. And she did say that they would be out late tonight. I'm not worried."
/Uso yo,/ thought Megumi, glancing at Kenshin's calm, unflustered expression. /You might not be worried about *that* exactly... but all the same you're worried./
"I regret that I haven't been able to visit here more often," Megumi said casually. Bowing her head slightly so that her long black hair fell
forward, she watched Kenshin carefully through her thick lashes. "Sanosuke tells me this Niimi person has been with Kaoru-chan everyday since he first came here."
Kenshin took a sip of his tea. "Hontou wa."
"And that he'll be leaving exactly four days from now. Going back to his ship, or some such thing."
"Hai, de gozaru."
"Then he must be stepping things up by now..."
Kenshin paused, put aside his cup, and turned a gentle smile to Megumi. "I have no doubt, Megumi-dono."
Megumi frowned. So he was *not* as oblivious as he seemed to be, after all. "And you're not doing anything, Ken-san?"
Silence. Kenshin would not meet her gaze. Megumi twisted her hands together in her lap, stared down at them in frustration, wishing she
could guess at his answer, chafing at her own inability to know.
It was one of the things about him that infinitely fascinated her -- the way he kept to himself, unconsciously maintained a barrier between
himself and the rest of the world. No one broke that barrier; he opened and shut it as he chose.
Most of the men Megumi had met in her life fell easy prey to her charms; she delighted in probing the secrets of their souls, only to scorn
the pettiness and weakness that she found there. But Kenshin was different. He was like an oyster, secret and solitary, hiding deep within the rich and lustrous promise of a pearl. What he revealed to her deepened her admiration for him. What he didn't, deepened her respect.
She wanted to rush at Kenshin, throttle a response out of this quiet, pensive man, this strange,mysterious, and thus infinitely fascinating man who was able to elude all her questions, her probing and nagging -- but she held back desperately, knowing that such violent action would only prolong his silence.
And so she sat, nervously twining her fingers among one another, wishing that he would speak and end her suspense.
Finally, he did.
"Kaoru-dono's life is her own." He looked away. "It is not for us to interfere."
Stunned, staring furiously at the back of his head, Megumi fought against the overwhelming disappointment welling deep within her. Stinging tears rose to her eyes despite herself. Her hands clenched into fists inside their sleeves.
"Ken-san..." Megumi's whisper trembled with bitter disbelief. "Nani...?"
"Sumanai de gozaru," and Kenshin looked back at her, his eyes perfectly calm, his gaze understanding, "if what I said was not what you
wished to hear." He picked up his cup of tea and cradled it in his lap, staring fixedly down at it. Hair the color of fire fell forward, shading his face from Megumi's gaze. "Demo... it is truth, though we close our eyes to it as we wish.
"We have been so happy here, ne, Megumi-dono?" There was a ghost of wistfulness in his soft, low voice. "Kaoru-dono, Sanosuke, Yahiko-kun, you, and sessha... Though we are not perfect, together we have created a family anyone would envy. When we got back from Kyoto I said 'Tadaima'... and at that time I believed it. I meant it with all my heart." Kenshin raised his head, glanced around the moonlit dojo, as if carefully imprinting its every feature into his memory. Megumi shuddered at the thought, at the thousand other, haunting thoughts it spawned, and shook her head to dispel her fear.
"But even as man wishes to catch a firefly and keep it to forever lighten his home, fate has other plans. The firefly has wings. It flies away
again. It is not meant to be caught and imprisoned within one man's house; it is meant to fly freely." Kenshin looked at Megumi. "Mite de
gozaru ka, Megumi-dono?"
Confronted with two serious violet eyes, seemingly bottomless in their very darkness, Megumi could only nod.
"It is folly to think that we have control over our lives. We do not own them, neither can we direct them. Although it is tempting, we cannot believe that what is now, will always be... There is an end to all beginnings, and so..." Kenshin paused. "Things change..."
Shocked, Megumi raised a trembling hand to her heart. /*Masaka!*/ flooded her mind with sheer anger, the stubborn refusal to believe.
/Ken-san...!/
"Keisuke is a good man." Kenshin's calm voice registered distantly through the stupefied fog in Megumi's head. "He is young, with a bright
career in the navy. Already he is rising through the ranks. He was Kaoru-dono's good friend since her childhood, and he brings her sweet
memories of the family she lost." He was silent for a moment. "And -- obviously -- he loves Kaoru-dono so much..."
"Ken-san..." Dimly, Megumi realized that her kimono was wet, and that her tears were soaking into it as they coursed down her face.
Kenshin turned to her. Purple eyes met cinnamon, and Megumi gasped.
The barrier was broken. For a moment she could see the pain in the violet depths -- stark pain mirroring Megumi's own, the blind refusal to accept what he feared to be true, the frustration, anger, and unflinching passion of a man deeply, irrevocably in love. Megumi forgot
her own tears at the raw, shining emotion in Kenshin's shattered eyes.
Then the crack was gone, the break mended. Once again he was at peace. Kenshin smiled at Megumi and turned away. He took a sip from the cup he held in strong and steady fingers.
"Sanosuke, I believe, fell asleep on the porch on the other side of the house. You can ask him to take you home, Megumi-dono."
Megumi drew in a deep, shivering breath and nodded. She wiped her cheeks dry on a handkerchief she had in her sleeve and stood up.
She started to leave, then stopped and lay a gentle hand on Kenshin's shoulder.
"Ken-san. Take care of yourself."
Kenshin smiled. "You too, Megumi-dono. Oyasumi nasai de gozaru."
"Oyasumi nasai."
Then Megumi left, heading to the back of the dojo, looking for Sanosuke.
* tsuzuku *
Wahhh!!! Kenshiin!! You're such a WUSS!!!!! ;_;
komban wa = good evening
sou ka? = is that so?
iie = no
uso yo = that's a lie!
hontou wa = that is true.
nani = what?
sessha = literally "this unworthy/lowly one"... Kenshin the Rurouni referring to himself in a very humble way
Mite de gozaru ka? = Do you see?
Masaka! = "Impossible!" or "It can't be!"
Kinou no Kakera (A Piece of Yesterday)
by Mirune Keishiko
Five: A Doctor's Hands, a Woman's Heart
There he was.
Just as she had expected.
Megumi hid a smile as she walked in through the gate and approached the slight figure that sat silent and upright on the porch. Warm yellow light from a nearby lamp illuminated the faded red gi and worn white hakama, the graceful arc and polished steel and wood of the sheathed sakabatou.
Megumi stopped several paces from Kenshin and bowed. "Komban wa, Ken-san."
"Komban wa, Megumi-dono," Kenshin replied warmly. "You're out late tonight."
"There was an emergency at the clinic, and I thought I'd drop by on my way home." /Not to mention that Sanosuke stopped by the clinic a
few hours ago and told me everything,/ thought Megumi. At Kenshin's gesture, she knelt down beside him on the porch with a nod of thanks. "All alone out here? Where's Yahiko-chan?" Her tones were light, teasing.
"He's in his room, asleep."
"And what are *you* staying up for, Ken-san?" Megumi asked coyly. "Daijoubu ka? You don't look entirely at ease."
Kenshin smiled, his deep violet eyes large and serene. "Everything is fine, Megumi-dono. Everything" -- he seemed to correct himself --
"is as it should be."
"Sou ka?"
Megumi had lost her flirtatious tone. She watched Kenshin intently, soberly, watched the lamplight play across his thoughtful face in soft
flickering yellow. Perhaps aware of her scrutiny, Kenshin smiled slightly and indicated the teapot that sat on a tray near him. Megumi shook her head, wordlessly declining his offer.
Kenshin sipped his tea and said nothing. The breeze picked up, singing softly to itself among the bamboo. Out in the street, the footfalls and shouts of late-night revelers came echoing to their ears, fading slowly away into the distance.
Megumi sighed.
"Kaoru-chan still hasn't come home yet?"
Kenshin put down his cup, shaking his head. "Iie. But Niimi-san will take good care of her, I know. And she did say that they would be out late tonight. I'm not worried."
/Uso yo,/ thought Megumi, glancing at Kenshin's calm, unflustered expression. /You might not be worried about *that* exactly... but all the same you're worried./
"I regret that I haven't been able to visit here more often," Megumi said casually. Bowing her head slightly so that her long black hair fell
forward, she watched Kenshin carefully through her thick lashes. "Sanosuke tells me this Niimi person has been with Kaoru-chan everyday since he first came here."
Kenshin took a sip of his tea. "Hontou wa."
"And that he'll be leaving exactly four days from now. Going back to his ship, or some such thing."
"Hai, de gozaru."
"Then he must be stepping things up by now..."
Kenshin paused, put aside his cup, and turned a gentle smile to Megumi. "I have no doubt, Megumi-dono."
Megumi frowned. So he was *not* as oblivious as he seemed to be, after all. "And you're not doing anything, Ken-san?"
Silence. Kenshin would not meet her gaze. Megumi twisted her hands together in her lap, stared down at them in frustration, wishing she
could guess at his answer, chafing at her own inability to know.
It was one of the things about him that infinitely fascinated her -- the way he kept to himself, unconsciously maintained a barrier between
himself and the rest of the world. No one broke that barrier; he opened and shut it as he chose.
Most of the men Megumi had met in her life fell easy prey to her charms; she delighted in probing the secrets of their souls, only to scorn
the pettiness and weakness that she found there. But Kenshin was different. He was like an oyster, secret and solitary, hiding deep within the rich and lustrous promise of a pearl. What he revealed to her deepened her admiration for him. What he didn't, deepened her respect.
She wanted to rush at Kenshin, throttle a response out of this quiet, pensive man, this strange,mysterious, and thus infinitely fascinating man who was able to elude all her questions, her probing and nagging -- but she held back desperately, knowing that such violent action would only prolong his silence.
And so she sat, nervously twining her fingers among one another, wishing that he would speak and end her suspense.
Finally, he did.
"Kaoru-dono's life is her own." He looked away. "It is not for us to interfere."
Stunned, staring furiously at the back of his head, Megumi fought against the overwhelming disappointment welling deep within her. Stinging tears rose to her eyes despite herself. Her hands clenched into fists inside their sleeves.
"Ken-san..." Megumi's whisper trembled with bitter disbelief. "Nani...?"
"Sumanai de gozaru," and Kenshin looked back at her, his eyes perfectly calm, his gaze understanding, "if what I said was not what you
wished to hear." He picked up his cup of tea and cradled it in his lap, staring fixedly down at it. Hair the color of fire fell forward, shading his face from Megumi's gaze. "Demo... it is truth, though we close our eyes to it as we wish.
"We have been so happy here, ne, Megumi-dono?" There was a ghost of wistfulness in his soft, low voice. "Kaoru-dono, Sanosuke, Yahiko-kun, you, and sessha... Though we are not perfect, together we have created a family anyone would envy. When we got back from Kyoto I said 'Tadaima'... and at that time I believed it. I meant it with all my heart." Kenshin raised his head, glanced around the moonlit dojo, as if carefully imprinting its every feature into his memory. Megumi shuddered at the thought, at the thousand other, haunting thoughts it spawned, and shook her head to dispel her fear.
"But even as man wishes to catch a firefly and keep it to forever lighten his home, fate has other plans. The firefly has wings. It flies away
again. It is not meant to be caught and imprisoned within one man's house; it is meant to fly freely." Kenshin looked at Megumi. "Mite de
gozaru ka, Megumi-dono?"
Confronted with two serious violet eyes, seemingly bottomless in their very darkness, Megumi could only nod.
"It is folly to think that we have control over our lives. We do not own them, neither can we direct them. Although it is tempting, we cannot believe that what is now, will always be... There is an end to all beginnings, and so..." Kenshin paused. "Things change..."
Shocked, Megumi raised a trembling hand to her heart. /*Masaka!*/ flooded her mind with sheer anger, the stubborn refusal to believe.
/Ken-san...!/
"Keisuke is a good man." Kenshin's calm voice registered distantly through the stupefied fog in Megumi's head. "He is young, with a bright
career in the navy. Already he is rising through the ranks. He was Kaoru-dono's good friend since her childhood, and he brings her sweet
memories of the family she lost." He was silent for a moment. "And -- obviously -- he loves Kaoru-dono so much..."
"Ken-san..." Dimly, Megumi realized that her kimono was wet, and that her tears were soaking into it as they coursed down her face.
Kenshin turned to her. Purple eyes met cinnamon, and Megumi gasped.
The barrier was broken. For a moment she could see the pain in the violet depths -- stark pain mirroring Megumi's own, the blind refusal to accept what he feared to be true, the frustration, anger, and unflinching passion of a man deeply, irrevocably in love. Megumi forgot
her own tears at the raw, shining emotion in Kenshin's shattered eyes.
Then the crack was gone, the break mended. Once again he was at peace. Kenshin smiled at Megumi and turned away. He took a sip from the cup he held in strong and steady fingers.
"Sanosuke, I believe, fell asleep on the porch on the other side of the house. You can ask him to take you home, Megumi-dono."
Megumi drew in a deep, shivering breath and nodded. She wiped her cheeks dry on a handkerchief she had in her sleeve and stood up.
She started to leave, then stopped and lay a gentle hand on Kenshin's shoulder.
"Ken-san. Take care of yourself."
Kenshin smiled. "You too, Megumi-dono. Oyasumi nasai de gozaru."
"Oyasumi nasai."
Then Megumi left, heading to the back of the dojo, looking for Sanosuke.
* tsuzuku *
Wahhh!!! Kenshiin!! You're such a WUSS!!!!! ;_;