Authors Note: This is the last chapter of "Here with me" I hope you all
enjoy this last chapter, written by Crystal Reene for me. Much love to her.
********************
I won't go
I won't sleep
I can't breathe
Until you're resting here with me
I won't leave
I can't hide
I cannot be
Until you're resting here with me
Kaoru stumbled along the path, intent on finding something before she left. There wasn't much more she could hold onto--- she was dead on her feet as she walked to down the road, and her heart wrenched. 'I promised ... I promised that I'd be here for him when he got back. I won't go, I won't seleep, I can't breath, until he's back here resting with me. I won't leave and I won't hide anything anymore. He has to be here with me before I die.'
Kaoru nearly fell to the floor before lifting her head once more, scanning the area around her. Something--- something was coming. Her heart nearly jumped.
~*~
'I promised Kaoru... I have to get back to her...' he thought to himself, forcing his body onward. 'I may not remember everything, but I remember Kaoru...please still be waiting for me...'
He forced his head up to see the one person that he had been trying so hard to return to standing right before him. She smiled at him and he could see the weakness in her body, the way she winced as she walked. She was dying too, but she hadn't given up. She had promised, and she'd kept it.
Before he knew what was going on, he'd fallen in her lap, and they both collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and content.
"I'm back..."
"Welcome home. Shinta."
~*~
Kenji walked around the dojo, cursing his fathers name and swearing he'd get revenge for what happened to his mother. She'd always waited for him, praying he'd come back. If they had meant anything to him, Kenji was positive that his father would have come back by now. He didn't understand why he felt he had to travel all the time.
Finally deciding he'd look at his mother one more time before they lay her to rest, Kenji traveled down the halls to his mother's room and opened the door. She wasn't there.
"What kind of sick joke is this? Yahiko, where's my mother's body?"
~*~
Frantically, Megumi, Yahiko and Kenji searched everywhere for Kaoru. She had to be somewhere...was it possible that, maybe, she hadn't been dead? That perhaps, she'd still been alive?
That she was still waiting for Kenshin?
Kenji grew angered and he walked out the door, spotting his mother holding his father as he fell against her. His eyes grew wide. There was so much weakness and determination in his father's face, like he had been trying to get back the whole time. And his mother seemed contented and happy just to see his father again.
He watched as they sat together, his mother speaking of things Kenji realized would never happen. His father smiled and nodded that he would like that too, and Kenji stayed back in the corners.
Suddenly he heard his mother say "It's been forgiven. Finally, it's been forgiven."
And she slumped over his father's body.
His heart ached and he walked closer to his parents, finding them both dead, the way his mother had always wanted it to be.
Together, knowing each others pain and in each other's arms.
He looked down and a silent tear slid down his face. "You finally came back. If only you'd been here, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I'll never forgive you for that, tou-san, but I can't hate you because you did what you promise and you came back to kaa-san. She's been waiting for you. And... so have I."
*******************
Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story, staying with me the whole time.
********************
I won't go
I won't sleep
I can't breathe
Until you're resting here with me
I won't leave
I can't hide
I cannot be
Until you're resting here with me
Kaoru stumbled along the path, intent on finding something before she left. There wasn't much more she could hold onto--- she was dead on her feet as she walked to down the road, and her heart wrenched. 'I promised ... I promised that I'd be here for him when he got back. I won't go, I won't seleep, I can't breath, until he's back here resting with me. I won't leave and I won't hide anything anymore. He has to be here with me before I die.'
Kaoru nearly fell to the floor before lifting her head once more, scanning the area around her. Something--- something was coming. Her heart nearly jumped.
~*~
'I promised Kaoru... I have to get back to her...' he thought to himself, forcing his body onward. 'I may not remember everything, but I remember Kaoru...please still be waiting for me...'
He forced his head up to see the one person that he had been trying so hard to return to standing right before him. She smiled at him and he could see the weakness in her body, the way she winced as she walked. She was dying too, but she hadn't given up. She had promised, and she'd kept it.
Before he knew what was going on, he'd fallen in her lap, and they both collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and content.
"I'm back..."
"Welcome home. Shinta."
~*~
Kenji walked around the dojo, cursing his fathers name and swearing he'd get revenge for what happened to his mother. She'd always waited for him, praying he'd come back. If they had meant anything to him, Kenji was positive that his father would have come back by now. He didn't understand why he felt he had to travel all the time.
Finally deciding he'd look at his mother one more time before they lay her to rest, Kenji traveled down the halls to his mother's room and opened the door. She wasn't there.
"What kind of sick joke is this? Yahiko, where's my mother's body?"
~*~
Frantically, Megumi, Yahiko and Kenji searched everywhere for Kaoru. She had to be somewhere...was it possible that, maybe, she hadn't been dead? That perhaps, she'd still been alive?
That she was still waiting for Kenshin?
Kenji grew angered and he walked out the door, spotting his mother holding his father as he fell against her. His eyes grew wide. There was so much weakness and determination in his father's face, like he had been trying to get back the whole time. And his mother seemed contented and happy just to see his father again.
He watched as they sat together, his mother speaking of things Kenji realized would never happen. His father smiled and nodded that he would like that too, and Kenji stayed back in the corners.
Suddenly he heard his mother say "It's been forgiven. Finally, it's been forgiven."
And she slumped over his father's body.
His heart ached and he walked closer to his parents, finding them both dead, the way his mother had always wanted it to be.
Together, knowing each others pain and in each other's arms.
He looked down and a silent tear slid down his face. "You finally came back. If only you'd been here, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I'll never forgive you for that, tou-san, but I can't hate you because you did what you promise and you came back to kaa-san. She's been waiting for you. And... so have I."
*******************
Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story, staying with me the whole time.