Chapter 2
Kaoru awoke in her bed at home. Looking over, she saw the teacup that Hiko had given her was next to her. Grabbing it, she held it close. Maybe it was the design. Maybe it was the fact that only she and Kenshin had had ever drank from it. Whatever it was, it really didn't matter. The cup seemed to calm her spirit whenever it was near. Holding the cup away slightly, she traced the patters of the tree branches with her fingernail.
"Oh, your awake. How did you sleep?" Yahiko came in and sat next to Kaoru's futon.
Kaoru shook her head and held the cup to her breasts. "I dreamt of Shinta all night." She was surprised by the tone of her voice. It was barely there. Her eyes lowered as she smiled sadly She knew she only had a few days to live.
Yahiko nodded, then suddenly thought of a question. "Kaoru, how come you call Kenshin Shinta all the time?"
"He asked my to call him that before he left. When he got home, he wanted me to call him Shinta instead of Kenshin."
Yahiko nodded, then stood. "How are you feeling?"
"Horrible. I'm in terrible pain. I feel like the living dead."
"Don't say that."
"Well it's the truth. What do you want me to do, lie?"
Yahiko gave a small smile, remembering those words in which he had spoken to Kenshin and Kaoru. "Well, I'm going to send Megumi in, OK?"
Yahiko didn't wait for a reply and walked out. A moment later, Megumi hustled in.
~~
Kenji sat outside his mother's room, watching the sakura petals fall in the courtyard.
He had been mourning the death of his father more than he had expected. He had never been close to Kenshin; he had never been home enough. Yet as he carried his father's dead body home yesterday, he had almost come to tears. Carrying his dad's lifeless body home had been the hardest thing Kenji Himura had ever done.
Hearing the paper door slide open, Kenji scrambled to his feet.
"Megumi-san, how is she?"
Megumi sighed and looked back at the door with a long face. "I can't lie to you, Kenji-kun. Your mother is deteriorating at an unbelievably fast pace. Kaoru will be dead in two days at the longest. There is nothing we can do now but wait and make her feel as comfortable as possible." Megumi bowed her head as tears threatened to fall. "I think that we all have a sense of doom hanging over our heads now that Kenshin has lost the battle with the disease. He was the person whom everyone thought could beat anything. But, he finally lost. So now no one holds any hope. There is no reason to."
Kenji nodded and passed Megumi heading back into his mother's room. Seeing her lying on the futon made her look so helpless. Her face was pale and gaunt. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes flickered under her lids.
"Mother..." Kenji fought back tears. "What could you be dreaming about..."
~~
'Kaoru walked along a firm trail in a meadow of grass, passing by spots that she had been at with Kenshin. First, it was the street that she had attacked Kenshin, accusing him of being the Hitokiri Battousai. Next, it was the bathhouse, where he had seen her naked, then the dojo training hall where the battle with Saito had occurred. The pond where Kenshin had left her for Kyoto, Hiko's hut, coming home from Kyoto. Riverside, where Kenshin had first kissed her, Yahiko's room where Kenji was born, and finally, the clearing, where Kenshin had died in her arms.
Suddenly Kaoru found herself in the dojo training hall. In her hands, she held a shinai and across from her...
"Shinta."
He gave her a cocky smile, one that she had seen him give Yahiko before they spared. "You know, when I was alive, I never got to challenge you."
Kaoru gave a seductive smile and crossed her arms. "ARE you challenging me?"
The former assassin took an offensive stance. Kaoru nodded.
"I'll take that as a yes." Quickly she reached up and pulled the ribbon from her hair, allowing the dark curtain to frame her face. She then slipped off the two bulky layers of her kimono and took a defensive stance, waiting for Kenshin's attack.
Before she could blink, Kenshin was behind her. She whirled around and blocked his attack, the wood cracking in the still air. Kaoru then switched from defensive to offensive, bringing the shinai up then down towards Kenshin's stomach. But she was no match for the Hitokiri Battousai. Her attack missed. Suddenly he was behind her again, the wooden sword held at her neck.
He gave a triumphant smile. "I win."
Kaoru only watched the shinai with impressed eyes. If she was right, the battle had lasted a whole minute and a half.
Sighing, she pushed the wooden sword away from her neck. "I think you where going easy on me. That's not fair. I can take whatever you throw at me."
"Oh?" Kenshin's face was lit up with a bright smile, one of pure happiness. There was no sadness to it, nothing. Not the ones he used to give Kaoru when he was alive.
She felt Kenshin's hand take her own. He then backed away, still holding it.
"Come on Kaoru, let's go..."
Kaoru nodded and started forward-'
"Mother, wake up Mother!" Kenji gently shook her shoulders. He watched as her eyes flutter open, her eyes dull and lifeless.
"Kenji..." Her voice was raspy and her breathing was wheezy.
The young swordsman scooted closer to his mother. "Yes, what is it?"
"Where...where is...is Shinta?" You didn't...bury him yet...did you?"
Kenji put his hand on his mothers. She was defiantly worse. Yesterday, she was able to speak in full sentences. Today, she was stammering about. "He's in the other room, lying in bed. We haven't buried him yet."
Kaoru closed her hr eyes and nodded. "He wants me... to come with him."
Kenji cocked his head. "Come with him?" He furrowed his brow. "You mean follow him into death."
Kaoru nodded her head, her eyes opening into slits. "When he died, and when I dream, he comes to me. He holds out his hand... and then tells me...but every time..."
"You get ripped back here, away from Father." Kenji finished for her. She nodded once more and finally opened her eyes fully.
"You wouldn't be mad at me... if I followed him?" She looked her son in the eye.
"You have waited for him for so long, mother. For years you have waited patiently for his return. And he has come back once again. Next time he comes, go ahead and follow him." Kenji smiled sadly and squeezed her hand. "Follow your heart, Mother. I know you will choose best."
Kaoru gave him a weak smile. "Thank you son/" She then closed her eyes, exaughstion taking her body into a deep sleep.
Kenji stood and walked out of Kaoru's room. He followed the hallway and came into the drill hall. Inside, Yahiko was practicing furiously with the Sakabatou.
"If you don't slow down, you're going to hurt yourself." Kenji crossed his arms and sat on the polished wood of the dojo floor. On the wall, the plaques hung dull and dusty. Since Kaoru had taken ill, the dojo's cleaning had slowly become non-existent.
"How's Kaoru doing?" Yahiko didn't even falter in his training. Kenji watched as he suddenly sheathed the sword, threw out his right leg and brought the sword out in the form of the Battou Jutsu attack.
"Tonight."
"Why do you think so?"
"She says father has been coming to her in her dreams, telling her to follow him. She asked me if it was ok if she followed him."
Yahiko sheathed the sword and glanced at Kenji. "And?"
Kenji bowed her head. "What do you mean 'And'? Don't ask such stupid questions, Yahiko."
Kaoru awoke in her bed at home. Looking over, she saw the teacup that Hiko had given her was next to her. Grabbing it, she held it close. Maybe it was the design. Maybe it was the fact that only she and Kenshin had had ever drank from it. Whatever it was, it really didn't matter. The cup seemed to calm her spirit whenever it was near. Holding the cup away slightly, she traced the patters of the tree branches with her fingernail.
"Oh, your awake. How did you sleep?" Yahiko came in and sat next to Kaoru's futon.
Kaoru shook her head and held the cup to her breasts. "I dreamt of Shinta all night." She was surprised by the tone of her voice. It was barely there. Her eyes lowered as she smiled sadly She knew she only had a few days to live.
Yahiko nodded, then suddenly thought of a question. "Kaoru, how come you call Kenshin Shinta all the time?"
"He asked my to call him that before he left. When he got home, he wanted me to call him Shinta instead of Kenshin."
Yahiko nodded, then stood. "How are you feeling?"
"Horrible. I'm in terrible pain. I feel like the living dead."
"Don't say that."
"Well it's the truth. What do you want me to do, lie?"
Yahiko gave a small smile, remembering those words in which he had spoken to Kenshin and Kaoru. "Well, I'm going to send Megumi in, OK?"
Yahiko didn't wait for a reply and walked out. A moment later, Megumi hustled in.
~~
Kenji sat outside his mother's room, watching the sakura petals fall in the courtyard.
He had been mourning the death of his father more than he had expected. He had never been close to Kenshin; he had never been home enough. Yet as he carried his father's dead body home yesterday, he had almost come to tears. Carrying his dad's lifeless body home had been the hardest thing Kenji Himura had ever done.
Hearing the paper door slide open, Kenji scrambled to his feet.
"Megumi-san, how is she?"
Megumi sighed and looked back at the door with a long face. "I can't lie to you, Kenji-kun. Your mother is deteriorating at an unbelievably fast pace. Kaoru will be dead in two days at the longest. There is nothing we can do now but wait and make her feel as comfortable as possible." Megumi bowed her head as tears threatened to fall. "I think that we all have a sense of doom hanging over our heads now that Kenshin has lost the battle with the disease. He was the person whom everyone thought could beat anything. But, he finally lost. So now no one holds any hope. There is no reason to."
Kenji nodded and passed Megumi heading back into his mother's room. Seeing her lying on the futon made her look so helpless. Her face was pale and gaunt. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes flickered under her lids.
"Mother..." Kenji fought back tears. "What could you be dreaming about..."
~~
'Kaoru walked along a firm trail in a meadow of grass, passing by spots that she had been at with Kenshin. First, it was the street that she had attacked Kenshin, accusing him of being the Hitokiri Battousai. Next, it was the bathhouse, where he had seen her naked, then the dojo training hall where the battle with Saito had occurred. The pond where Kenshin had left her for Kyoto, Hiko's hut, coming home from Kyoto. Riverside, where Kenshin had first kissed her, Yahiko's room where Kenji was born, and finally, the clearing, where Kenshin had died in her arms.
Suddenly Kaoru found herself in the dojo training hall. In her hands, she held a shinai and across from her...
"Shinta."
He gave her a cocky smile, one that she had seen him give Yahiko before they spared. "You know, when I was alive, I never got to challenge you."
Kaoru gave a seductive smile and crossed her arms. "ARE you challenging me?"
The former assassin took an offensive stance. Kaoru nodded.
"I'll take that as a yes." Quickly she reached up and pulled the ribbon from her hair, allowing the dark curtain to frame her face. She then slipped off the two bulky layers of her kimono and took a defensive stance, waiting for Kenshin's attack.
Before she could blink, Kenshin was behind her. She whirled around and blocked his attack, the wood cracking in the still air. Kaoru then switched from defensive to offensive, bringing the shinai up then down towards Kenshin's stomach. But she was no match for the Hitokiri Battousai. Her attack missed. Suddenly he was behind her again, the wooden sword held at her neck.
He gave a triumphant smile. "I win."
Kaoru only watched the shinai with impressed eyes. If she was right, the battle had lasted a whole minute and a half.
Sighing, she pushed the wooden sword away from her neck. "I think you where going easy on me. That's not fair. I can take whatever you throw at me."
"Oh?" Kenshin's face was lit up with a bright smile, one of pure happiness. There was no sadness to it, nothing. Not the ones he used to give Kaoru when he was alive.
She felt Kenshin's hand take her own. He then backed away, still holding it.
"Come on Kaoru, let's go..."
Kaoru nodded and started forward-'
"Mother, wake up Mother!" Kenji gently shook her shoulders. He watched as her eyes flutter open, her eyes dull and lifeless.
"Kenji..." Her voice was raspy and her breathing was wheezy.
The young swordsman scooted closer to his mother. "Yes, what is it?"
"Where...where is...is Shinta?" You didn't...bury him yet...did you?"
Kenji put his hand on his mothers. She was defiantly worse. Yesterday, she was able to speak in full sentences. Today, she was stammering about. "He's in the other room, lying in bed. We haven't buried him yet."
Kaoru closed her hr eyes and nodded. "He wants me... to come with him."
Kenji cocked his head. "Come with him?" He furrowed his brow. "You mean follow him into death."
Kaoru nodded her head, her eyes opening into slits. "When he died, and when I dream, he comes to me. He holds out his hand... and then tells me...but every time..."
"You get ripped back here, away from Father." Kenji finished for her. She nodded once more and finally opened her eyes fully.
"You wouldn't be mad at me... if I followed him?" She looked her son in the eye.
"You have waited for him for so long, mother. For years you have waited patiently for his return. And he has come back once again. Next time he comes, go ahead and follow him." Kenji smiled sadly and squeezed her hand. "Follow your heart, Mother. I know you will choose best."
Kaoru gave him a weak smile. "Thank you son/" She then closed her eyes, exaughstion taking her body into a deep sleep.
Kenji stood and walked out of Kaoru's room. He followed the hallway and came into the drill hall. Inside, Yahiko was practicing furiously with the Sakabatou.
"If you don't slow down, you're going to hurt yourself." Kenji crossed his arms and sat on the polished wood of the dojo floor. On the wall, the plaques hung dull and dusty. Since Kaoru had taken ill, the dojo's cleaning had slowly become non-existent.
"How's Kaoru doing?" Yahiko didn't even falter in his training. Kenji watched as he suddenly sheathed the sword, threw out his right leg and brought the sword out in the form of the Battou Jutsu attack.
"Tonight."
"Why do you think so?"
"She says father has been coming to her in her dreams, telling her to follow him. She asked me if it was ok if she followed him."
Yahiko sheathed the sword and glanced at Kenji. "And?"
Kenji bowed her head. "What do you mean 'And'? Don't ask such stupid questions, Yahiko."
