Part 3: New World, The Clock that doesn't tell time, Southern Cross, and Goodbye
Sanosuke's back was hurting, he stood up and stretch, he heard a strange sound, he turned to see Kenshin standing too. He stretched and then sat down again, he was humming a song, it sounded like something from Europe. "Kenshin, what song is that?"
"New World Symphony," Kenshin said absent-mindedly. "I heard it at Yamagata's house once. It was along time ago, that is what it feels like to me."
Suddenly the song filled the entire room, Kenshin blinked and looked out the window which soon filled with the sight of corn. He stood up again and smiled, he twirled around as the song went on, it was if part of him was a child. "So warm, I like it when it is sunny, it isn't dark anymore!"
Sanosuke looked out and saw a field give way and saw a boy standing in front of a gate, it was himself as a child. He turned and noticed little Charles looking past Kenshin at the boy. "I know that boy," he smiled and turned to look up at Sanosuke.
"I knew him too," Sanosuke smiled back and then they stopped at in front of a strange station where a large clock was ticking, but something odd about the clock, it seemed different. It was divided into four quarters, each quarter had moons on it, the short hand was pointing as a sign that said Summer and the long hand point at the full moon. He turned to look at Kenshin who was holding the map. "Not there yet," he whispered and sighed watching as the train started up again.
Sanosuke sighed and noticed another cat dressed in a clown costume holding apples, Charles took one, then it turned into two, then three, he passed Kenshin one, then Kenshin passed one to Sanosuke. Basle and Fritz took the apples passed to them, with all of them having the apples in hand, they started to eat theirs.
Charles who finished up his apple sat in Kenshin's lap as they looked out the window at some strange black and white birds flying by. "Crows?" Charles asked and smiled at Kenshin who shook his head.
"Magpies," Kenshin smiled and looked out as the magpies landed in trees and then turned into apples. He smiled and started to close his eyes, a strange poem came from his lips. "Though I leave this world as sadly as one can leave it, please don't cry for me. I love you with all my heart so precious is my love for your life. Don't leave me to be alone," he sighed his hands on the sakabatou. "Sanosuke, bring this home to Kaoru-koishii for me."
"Kenshin, aren't you coming home too?" Sanosuke didn't understand, nor would he accept that his friend was truly dead.
Kenshin didn't answer, he just stared out the window, he just seemed so different now, he seemed sadder. He stared at the magpies, he turned his face to Sanosuke again, there were tears in those eyes, he knew he could not hide it from Sanosuke forever. He wanted to stay on the train with him forever until he was home in Tokyo. He just turned to look down at the map again, his eyes filling with tears. "Almost there."
The train came to a stop in front of another strange field, it was filled with light and there were many people leaving. Fritz picked up Charles who waved to them, though he was crying wanting to stay with Kenshin and Sanosuke. Basle bowed as they left thanking them for their company. Kenshin just watched as they got off and stared sadly at the people forming a line and a song came through the windows, a song of praise and happiness.
Standing at the station was Okita who was hugging his family and waved to them. "Kenshin, hope you remember, you get off at the Western Cross!"
Kenshin nodded and smiled, he turned to see another woman standing at the station, she quickly got on and was sitting next to Kenshin, there was another man standing in the aisle sitting down. "We have to make sure he gets off at the right stop, Tomoe," the man sighed looking down at Kenshin who was just staring blankly out the window.
"I'm here to help him too," Sanosuke stood up, the man smiled at him and nodded.
"We know, but Kenshin doesn't," the woman sighed, her hand on Kenshin's shoulder, he didn't turn. "Kenshin, it is almost time, you're almost home."
"Tokyo?" He whispered his eyes on the large station that was now becoming a small speck in the darkness. "I don't like the darkness!"
The bird catcher ran into the coach and digging through his pockets, he sighed. "Damn, tickets are being checked, go on find your ticket!" the man muttered and a dark cat appeared looking like a train conductor, his dark eyes were on the bird catcher who held up a piece of paper that had to be the ticket. "Now you."
Tomoe smiled, she brought her ticket, the man his, Kenshin reached into his gi pulling out two tickets. The conductor took Kenshin's and nodded handing it to him. "You're Sanosuke?"
"I am."
"You have the celestial ticket, lucky you," the conductor handed him the other ticket and walked away.
"I've never seen one before, let me see it," Tomoe smiled and Sanosuke handed it to her, she passed it to the other man, then to the bird catcher who smiled at him. "This is a special ticket, you get to go back to Tokyo."
Kenshin just sighed looking out at the empty space, his eyes travelling up and down the blackness searching for something. He sighed and his eyes closed, the bird catcher got up and saw that Kenshin dropped his map. "You might want to pick up the map."
"I'm almost there, one more stop, then it will be mine, soon," Kenshin spoke in broken sentences as if the grief was holding onto him. "I don't want to go, please don't make me leave her!"
"Kenshin, calm down," Tomoe put her hands on his shoulder. She looked over at her friend. "Kurasato, please help me calm him."
Kurasato turned to look at Sanosuke and sighed. "We've waited close to five years for him to come on the train. We waited so long, now that he is here, part of him is still in that place, he has to go home now."
Home? "Tokyo is his home!" Sanosuke wanted to blurt it out, he wanted to tell those two that Kenshin wasn't a child, that he could make up his own mind. Then he noticed something odd, something that the train had done to Kenshin, Sanosuke saw a small boy sitting in Kenshin's place, then in a flash he was an adult again. He wants to see his mother.
Kenshin was now crying, "I didn't want to leave Kaoru-koishii, I loved her so much, I didn't want to. I just want another year, that's all I ask," he begged to no one, but his face was filled with such sadness. "One more year."
He could do nothing to comfort Kenshin, he did not understand rightly what was happening, he saw the room darken and the two people were gone. Kenshin and himself were alone, Kenshin was no longer crying, he was sitting staring out the window. "Kenshin?"
"I see her, Sano," Kenshin smiled standing up, he started to walk to the caboose, he handed Sanosuke the sakabatou. "I…"
"Kenshin! Where are you going?"
"To Oka-san," Kenshin said softly, then he was gone. Sanosuke saw the door at the far end of the car open, he ran to it and pulled it open, he ran after Kenshin, but he was not sure. He ran as fast as he could to the last car, the caboose which no longer held the telegraph in it, nor the old blind operator.
"KENSHIN! Wait!" Sanosuke ran up to the door, he tried to close it, but Kenshin forced him away from it. "Don't go, you said…"
"I can't come with you, I have to go to Oka-san," Kenshin whispered, he opened the door and he was suddenly walking along the tracks toward a lovely woman with dark red hair, then he was running to her, he wasn't an adult, but a small boy of five. "OKA-SAN!"
Sanosuke tried to work the door, but it was locked, he watched as the train went further and further away, Kenshin became nothing more than a white spot in the darkness. "Kenshin, why didn't you tell me?"
"I told you, I fell in the river, I couldn't get out, you weren't listening to me," he heard Kenshin's voice all around him. He suddenly found himself back in the field, he turned around and saw no train, he only saw the lights, he saw Yahiko running along the river, the fifteen year old was holding a lantern yelling at the police and an irate Saitou.
"Kid, he's gone!" Saitou stopped the boy from falling into the river himself. "The current was too strong for him, I'm not having another person falling in! I doubt I would have made it either."
Yahiko dropped to his knees as Saitou picked him up again helping him back to town, Sanosuke looked to his right and found the Sakabotou lying there next to him. He blinked and picked it up running after Saitou and Yahiko.
The lights by the river were brighter, Sanosuke's friends ran up to him. "Kenshin went into the river to save his daughter! She fell in, she was brought back, but he didn't come out again," his friends were yelling, one was almost sick. "I can't believe Himura-san is gone!"
Running to the river, Yamagata was standing with Kaoru, he put his hand on her head as she wept into his shoulder. "Take Himura-sama's wife home, I will make a full search in the morning. I'm sorry, but it is just too dark for a proper search of the river."
Saitou nodded as he helped Kaoru home, he turned to look at Sanosuke who was standing in front of the gate. "I trust you will see her in?"
"I will," Sanosuke held Kaoru who was crying into his shoulder.
"I told him the water was too strong, but he wouldn't listen to me. I wanted him and Rei to be safe, why didn't he listen to me, why?"
"I don't know, but he gave me this," Sanosuke held up the Sakabatou and she held it crying harder. "He truly does love you."
End