Glossary: Okaeri=Welcome, Onegai=Please, Ishii=Child, Sofu=Grandfather, Koishii=Dear/Darling, Saiai=Beloved, Aisoka=Beloved Son, Otousan=Father, Okaasan=Mother, Hai=Yes, Tabi-split toe socks, Sho-ji=Outside door, Ikka=family, Aishiteru=I love you, Tenshi=Angel, Sochi=son(Hiko uses for Kenshin), Chichioya/Chichi=Father(honorable, Kenshin uses for Hiko), Kodora=Small Tiger,
Chapter Eight
The Beautiful Gemini
It had already been a day filled with heart-wrenching revelations for the Himura family as Kenshin and Kaoru had finally sat down with their youngest son and told him the long story of his Father's past, his parents coming together, and the the tale of The White Warrior.
Kenji had sat in rapt awe as Kaoru told the story of the making of the Elemental Army, the Battle of the Zombie Horde, the long and dangerous look for Yahiko through the underground prison, and how she and Kuumi had been incarcerated in the dank dungeon of the old Palace. Then she told him about Kenshin's battle with the Devil's Destroying Angel and The Devil himself as well as the war fought by his Elemental Army against the Demon horde that had descended into the Throne Room on the tails of the 'Demon's Finger'. She explained about Yahiko's incredible wildling ki and how he and Soujiro had ultimately saved everyone by defeating Acuma with the pure power of his spirit and Soujiro's 'Sword of Heaven'.
Then she moved on to finish the story by telling Kenji in better detail his own part that He had played in the incredible goings on that had occured that terrible night, and how in the end it was still his father's sword that had ended the life of the Devil's Witch who had sought to use them all for such an evil and horrible purpose. The young swordsman had listened with extreme intent to his mother's every word, and when she was finally finished he had bowed his head and remained still for a very long time. No one moved to touch or disturb him as Kenshin sternly shook his head indicating that Kenji needed the time to come to terms with all of the information he had just received. So, a respectful silence was maintained for the sake of the obviously troubled young man.
At last, after what seemed a small eternity, Kenji opened his mouth and spoke in a low but clear voice.
"Otousan?" He asked in troubled ambivalence.
"Hai, my son?"
"How did you change into the 'Spirit of the Tiger' that night? What gave you and the others the power to manifest your ki's into a physical form?"
"It was the night of The Autumn Moon, Kenji-san, and Elsbeth was indeed a powerful witch. There was much magick flowing freely through the air that night, and it was the eve of My Destiny. I believe it was supposed to happen that way. That I do."
"Were you not afraid, Otousan?"
"Afraid? Hai, I was afraid... I was afraid of failing and of what would happen to the world if I did."
"Were you not afraid of dying?"
"The thought of dying was secondary to the thought of what would befall the innocents if I failed... and what would happen to you and your Mother... and your brothers as well."
"You loved us so much even then?"
"Hai. I have always loved you, Kenji-san."
"And my brothers?"
"I have loved them as well. Why do you ask?"
"You have saved each of us from certain death once. Soujirou and Yahiko during that time, and mysef as well, but before I was born, and each time you have risked your own life at great peril to save us."
"Is something bothering you, Kenji-san?" Kenshin asked with gentle concern, "What is on your mind, my son?"
"How does a man who was so entrenched within the bonds of murder and the glory of blood-shed learn to love so deeply that he would risk all he is and all he has to save the life of another?"
"I would like to answer that question, if I may be permited, My Father." Yahiko reached out and touched Kenshin's arm gently and met the shocked mans wide eyed gaze with understanding sherry colored eyes. At Kenshin's nod, Yahiko faced his younger brother's direction and began to speak in a slow even tone of humility and deep respect.
"I once asked a very simular question, Kenji-san, My Brother. But my question was asked concerning our Older brother, Soujirou. As you have recently discovered, Soujirou is, or rather, was the infamous 'Tenken' who is revered as one of the deadliest shadow assassians of the post Bakumatsu era. When I met Sou-san, it was shortly after he had given up his name of 'Tenken' and he was in the middle of his journey trying to discover the truth of life and life's emotions. You see, Kenji-san," Yahiko paused and took a deep breath as he let his memory roll back over the long years. "There was a time when our beloved Soujirou had no emotions whatsoever."
Kenji's head whipped up and he stared at Yahiko's calm face in disbelief as a picture of their VERY emotionally expressive eldest brother came to mind. "What? No emotions? What are you saying?"
"He felt nothing except... Joy, I suppose you could say. He felt no anger, no sadness, no guilt, no regret... He was the perfect assassin, Kenji-san. He killed without guile or remorse, and he was very good at it. He killed quickly and silently... He would be finished and gone before anyone realized he had even been there."
"I do not believe that!" The note of panicked outrage in Kenji's voice made both Kenshin and Kaoru flinch. This was going to be harding than they had anticipated.
"Whether you believe it or not, Kodora, it is the truth." Kenshin reached out and placed a gently hand of comfort and understanding on his youngest son's trembling shoulder. "I know it is hard to acceptl."
"Otousan??" Pale aqua-blue eyes filled with the anxiety of lost innocence searched Kenchin's face in vain as they looked for some other truth or meaning behind the words that were being said. But they found only the same truth, and they could not accept it.
"It is the truth, Kenji-san." Kenshin's gentle violet gaze reached out and locked with the anxiety ridden one of his son, and he lifted his hand from Kenji's shoulder to cup his cool cheek in the warmth of its palm. "Soujirou and I had many things in commen within the make-up of our basic individualities. We suffered from many of the same flaws and lacked many of the same characterists. It was one of the reasons we were able to bond so closely... We understood each other's pain... the long years of compensating for the lonliness and the profound effect it had upon our souls. It was why I wanted to be there for him when he started to struggle upon the path of enlightenment... It was why I loved him so much when he began to emerge and I saw the man he was becoming, and it is why I love him still."
"But I do not understand, Otousan? You were assassin's... you murdered people... for whatever reasons were given to you, but it was still murderer." Kenji shook his head in consternation and looked away from his father's face to gaze into space with empty anxious eyes as he struggled with the conflict in his mind and heart.
"What is a Murderer, Kenji?" Yahiko's voice was low but it held a slightly harsh tone.
"What do you mean, Yahiko?" The youth's face reflected his wariness at the abruptly stated question. "What are you wanting me to say?"
"I want you to tell me what you beleive a Murderer is, little brother. I think the question was very clear. There should be no misunderstanding what I want from you. Now, answer the question, Kodora."
"I... I suppose that a Murderer is someone who kills without purpose, motive, or rational." The voice was hesitant and filled with indecision.
"All right, I can accept that as one answer, but that is too broad of an explanation, and it only describes one kind of Murderer."
"One kind? You mean there are more than one kind?" Kenji sounded horrified by the prospect of there being multiple types of murderers in the world.
"Of course. There are as many different kinds of Murderers as there are different kinds of people, little brother. I want you to consider this, when Sofu found our Father as a small child, he killed several men to stop them from killing Father... They did not provoke him or attack him. In fact, he caught them by surprise. Does that make him a Murderer?"
"Ne... He killed to save a child." Kenji was becoming even more confused as he turned and found the stoic face of his Grandfather setting among the many faces in the small room. Hiko merely nodded and said nothing.
"Hai." Yahiko continued. "Now consider this, your Auntie Misao and Uncle Aoshi were once very skilled Ninja and both of them are responsible for the deaths of many people. Misao killed while she was engaged in battle with the Juppen Gatana, and Aoshi was once a body guard for a well known and disliked Drug Lord and was forced to kill many people to protect him. Are they Murderers?"
"N-ne... War and Guardianship are not murder but a necessity." Now Kenji's confused eyes crossed with those of his two cousins, Ruakii and Tokken who were setting on either side of Yahiko raptly listening to every word he said, their young faces looking just as confused as Kenji felt.
"Hai. Lastly, consider this. Auntie Megumi was held prisoner by a Drug King who forced her to manufacture an extremely pure opium which he in turn sold to distributors on the streets, who in turn sold it to whom ever wished to buy it. Many young children and teenagers were found dead from over-doses of her pure opium. Since she made it, was she the Murderer responsible for the deaths of all of those children?"
"I... Ne... How could she know?" A movement off to his left caught his attention for a split instant, and Kenji watch as Quii scurried in to set next to her mother. Her wild yellow eyes were filled with anxiety, and he wondered briefly how much of this conversation she had heard, and what she was thinking. 'Quii? Do you think I am a fool?' He wondered as a tiny ache of fear squeezed his heart.
"But she did know. She was forced to continue to make the drug at the threat of her own life. Is she a Murderer?"
"Ne... I... I do not know." Kenji dropped his head and became silent once again. 'Why can I not understand this? Why does it not make sense to me? What is wrong with me, Otousan?'
"Are you beginning to understand, Kenji-san?"
"I... I am not certain I know what I am supposed to understand." The youth was becoming distressed and withdrawn the more he tried to understand his brother's confusing logic, and the room full of his adult family exchanged worried looks over what to do next. But their dilemma was solved for them in a very unique and unforseen way.
"Let me help you, Kenji-san." The soft cultured voice of Seta Soujiro floated into the room, and everyone's eyes turned towards the sho-ji where he had been quietly standing for quite some time it seemed, though not one of them had noticed his presance. He favored them all with his trademark merry smile as he stepped quietly into the crowded room and steathfully approached his youngest brother. Only Soujiro was still able to effectively mask his ki from everyone when he wanted to hide his presance and remain unnoticed. Kenshin could as well, though he chose not too for many reasons.
As Soujiro lowered himself to the floor beside Kenji, he began to speak in his usual light and airy voice, only today it was tinged with an uncustomary hardness that Kenji had rarely heard before, and he gazed into his brother's angelic face in mild surprise. "Allow me to try and answer your question, little brother. You do not understand how a Murderer can change into a loving and devoted human-being? Is this right. Kenji nodded his head silently. "Very well. Listen to me carefully, Kodora, because what I am about to tell you may be, perhaps, the most important thing you ever learn."
"Why do you say that, Sou-san?" Kenji's eyes grew wider in his pale face as he met the serious blue-gray gaze of his eldest brother.
"Because, Kodora, it will show the world in a different light. You will learn to look at people from a new perspective, and it will teach you not to judge what you do not understand."
"Is that what you think I am doing, Sou-san? Judging you and Otousan?" Kenji was taken aback by the thought that his father and brother might be thinking he was judging them for their actions. That had never been his intention.
"Of course it is. You do not understand what it means to be what we once were because you have never lived the lives we lived. You have never experienced or seen any of the things we have, and that makes you unqualified to judge either of us upon what you believe or disbelieve about our pasts."
"I am not trying to be a Judge, I just do not understand how a man can change so drastically from one who holds no respect for life to one that values it above all things... even himself." 'Please help me understand, Sou-san. Please.'
Soujiro nodded and leaned over to take his brothers hand between both of his, and then he locked eyes with him. "Everyone is a Murderer, Kodora, and No one is a Killer. The beast lives within us all, and the ability to take another life exists just beneath the surface of the face we show to the people we love. But, when the bloodied soul is given the chance to step onto a new path, and when it is greeted with open arms and offered the gift of unconditional love and acceptance, a miracle of the grandest proportions is made possible. An assassin can never wash the blood of those he has murdered from his hands, but he can be given the chance to repent and make ammends for his sins by choosing to live a better life and using the skills he has to help those around him. In this way, his soul can be reborn, his spirit can find its way along a path of higher enlightenment, he can find a measure of peace for his soul, and eventually he may even find happiness. That is what I learned from Otousan, and now it is time you learned it from me, young one." Soujiro kept eye contact with Kenji during his entire explanation, and as he finished, he lifted a hand and gently touched the the pale somewhat bewildered face. "Are you beginning to understand, my young brother?"
"I... I think so, but... how do you change? How do you learn to love when all you have ever known is blood and hate?" 'What is the answer?'
"It is simple, Kodora. You reach out with your heart and your mind, and you take what is offered to you. And once it is yours, you hold onto it with all your might, mind, and spirit and you never let go."
"But what is THAT ONE THING? What are you talking about? What is IT that you are offered that you are holding onto? That is what I do not understand. THAT ONE THING is what you are telling me makes you capable of such a miraculous change, but I do not understand what IT is."
"Love, my beautiful little brother. IT is LOVE."
"LOVE? That is all? Just Love?" Kenji looked incredulous and almost disappointed by Soujiro's answer. 'It cannot be that simple, can it?'
"Just Love??" Soujiro burst into musical laughter and reached out to pull Kenji into his strong arms and hugged him close. "Oh Kenji, Kenji... How can you say 'just love' when the emotion of 'love' is the most important thing to the human soul in this entire world? It is the food that feeds the spirit and keeps it strong, little brother. Do you not know this? The human soul would die without Love."
"I suppose I do... I have just never thought about it quite in that way before. That I have not." 'Is the answer really that simple? Can Love truly do ALL of that if you believe it can? I wonder...'
"Then it is time you did, Young one. It is time you did. The power of Love does not just save lives, it can change them as well. Love, Kenji, has the power to do anything. You only have to believe in it for it to happen. You only have to believe. IT is what saved both my soul AND Otousan's from an eternity of dispair and pain. Love is the most powerful force in this Universe. Never forget that, Kenji. Never forget that."
Kenji nodded, and then sat thoughtful for a moment. "Whose Love changed you, Soujiro?"
"Otousan's and your Auntie Misao and Uncle Aoshi's."
"Auntie Misao and Uncle Aoshi??"
"Yes. They accepted me into their home and made me part of the Onniwabanshu family despite my past, and they did it even though we had once been bitter enemies. They were the first real family I had, and they gave me the first real home I ever knew. The beginning of thefirst true changes within me began with them. I owe them my life just as much as I do Otousan. We are all Family, perhaps you are beginning to understand more now why that is so. It goes beyond just being friends for so many years. There are reasons behind those friendships. Now you know some of them."
"I never knew..." Kenji's eyes were filled with awe and a new level of respect as he looked into Soujiro's smiling face. 'Maybe it is true.'
"I know that, Kodora-san. There are many things in the past that are very painful for US to remember, and sometimes we forget that you do not know the same things we do. For that, you must try to understand and forgive us if we forget to tell you. It is not that we wish to keep secrets from you, but instead, we wish to spare ourselves the pain of remembering things we would rather forget and leave buried in the past."
"I think I am finally understanding. It is just so odd to look at all of you and try to imagine what you must have been like back then. It is difficult for me. It is... untangible... it is unreal."
"Believe me when I tell you, we understand you when you say that, Kenji-san." Yahiko's voice rose and captured everyone's attention once more. "Sometimes it is difficult for US to remember how we were back then. Perhaps we do not want to remember. Many of the memories are difficult and feel almost foriegn as if they happened to someone else. It feels unreal to us at times as well."
"That it does." Kenshin's soft tenor voice floated over to his son and caressed his spirit in a reassuring touch of love and understanding. "We have all changed so much, Kenji-san, that it is often hard to identify ourselves to the selves of our past. Very hard indeed."
"I never understood, Otousan. Please forgive me for being so harsh." 'I am a fool. The answer has been in front of me my whole life, but I had never noticed it. I am a true fool. Forgive me, My Father.'
"There is nothing to forgive, My Son." A gentle smile covered Kenshin's face as he gazed into his son's wide aqua-blue eyes. "As long as you understand now, there is nothing to forgive." Then his tender gaze shifted to rest on the glowing face of his eldest son, and the smile grew a tad wider. "What an interesting surprise you turned out to be." He said in an amused and pleased tone.
"I do try, Otousan" And Soujiro transfered his arms from his youngest brother to his Father and pulled his close for a warm embrace. "It is good to see you, My Father. It has been far too long since my looked on your face."
"And mine on yours, My beautiful Son. Thank-you for being here."
"Not even the Demon's of Hell could keep me away, Otou." Soujiro chuckled against his fathers shoulders, and within moments almost everyone in the small room had caught on to his drole joke and He was being pelted with pillows and tabi's.
"Soujiro, that was a very stupid joke." Kaoru's eyes were dancing with humor as she held her arms open for him to come to her. "It does not even deserve half a giggle, that it does not." But she did favor him with a huge smile as he dropped, grinning wickedly, into her waiting embrace and buryied his face against her soft neck.
"It was worth it just to see you smile, Okaasan. I have dearly missed your beautiful smile." Years before Soujiro had surprised Kaoru by making up his own mind and choosing to call her 'Mother'. It had been a little bit uncomfortable for her for a little while because the two of them were so close in age, but after a couple of years it occured to her that he was so emotionally young in comparison to her, it might actually be a good idea if he had a 'Mother' figure in his life. So, Kaoru had become Seta Soujiro's Okaasan, and thus it had remained ever since. "I have missed you both so very much." He whispered for her ears alone as he pressed a gentle kiss against her smooth cheek. "It is wonderful to see you."
"Oh Soujiro..." Kaoru choked on his name as a lump rose up in her throat, and she pulled him closer kissing his neck. "We always miss you when you are gone. You do not come home often enough anymore. You need to come home more... Onegai, My Dear One. Please come home to us more often." She pressed her nose into his fine brown hair and breathed in the scent of him almost as if her were a baby. "The Dojo seems so empty when you are not in it. Please come home."
"I will try, Okaa. I promise, I will try." And then Seta Soujiro shed a happy tear for the beautiful woman he called Mother and held onto her for a long while.
Things were just beginning to calm down as the newness of Soujiro's appearance was wearing off, and the anxiety of Kenji's emotion's died down when suddenly the sho-ji slid open and a pensive, but obviously excited Kuumi stepped though. It was easy to see by the look on her face that something very important was going on, and she was just about to burst with the information.
Kaoru was the closest to her so she reached out and grasped the younger woman's hand and captured her attention. "What is it, Sweetling? You look as if you just found out the best secret in the whole world or something like it. What is going on? Did something happen? Your Mother said she sent you to Market did something happen to you down there?"
"Oh yes, oh yes... something completely amazing and totally unbelievable happened. I am not even sure where to begin to tell you about it... It is just so... unbelievably ,incredible." Her blue-green eyes were shining like highly polished jewels and her face was lit with a brilliant smile of pure joy. Kuumi was happier than anyone had ever seen her, and that in itself was cause for curiosity.
"Well, what is it Koishii?" Tokio moved into the crowed room and carefully approached her beaming daughter. "You have everyone's attention now, so tell us what happened."
"Well... I met a young man at the Market this morning."
"A young man??" Saitou's outraged voice boomed through the room as he surged to his feet. "Kuumi!"
"Now wait Otousan, he is a very nice young man... He was a perfect gentleman so do not go blowing up... Listen to me first, please."
"Haijime... Let's listen to what she has to say before we jump to conslusions." Tokio glared at her fuming husband, then turned back to her daughter. "All right, now tell us about this young man you met. What is his name."
"Chis-tan... I think he might be a Spaniard..."
"A Spaniard!!!"
"Haijime!!!" Saitou clamped his mouth shut and slunk into the corner where he lit a cigarette and began to smoke it sullenly an angry scowl on his thin face.
"All right, he is a Spaniard. Now Kuumi, dear..." Tokio's voice was slightly reproachful as she looked into her daughters beaming face.
"Okaasan, please listen... we bumbed into each other and he accidentally knocked me to the ground. He was very apologetic and helped me up. His japanese is poor, but we were able to talk a little bit."
"You talked to him? Without being introduced? Kuumi!" The shock in Tokio's voice was abundantly apparent and her eyes widened in disapproval.
"Okaasan... Please!"
"All right, all right... continue."
"I discovered he was here in Japan looking for his Father. He had never met his father but knew he lived here in Japan somewhere. I asked if he knew his father's name because I thought perhaps Otou might be able to help him find his father. After all, Otousan does have a lot of connections with the Police."
"Yes, Of course... go on."
"He was very excited about that... our being able to talk, because he has been looking for his father for years and years without any luck."
"And what does that have to do with you, Koishii?"
" He... he told me his father's name and..." Kuumi stopped as her voice grew tight with emotion. She swallowed hard and tried to speak again. "When he told me his father's name... I had to bring him here."
"YOU BROUGHT HIM HOME WITH YOU??" Saitou raged and shot to his feet once more. "What in the hell do you think your doing, young lady? Have you lost your mind bringing a stranger to our home? What were you thinking? Have your wits left you completely, Kuumi?"
"But Otousan, Chris-tan's father is... he is... It's Uncle Kenshin."
As those words fell from Kuumi's soft lips, the entire room became deathy quiet and still as a cemetary on a cold misty morning. Not one person moved nor did they speak. The level of surprise, disbelief, denial, and incredulilty that filled the crowded space was suffocating, and there was hardly a breath being drawn.
"He... he knows you never knew about him, Uncle Ken..." She whispered to the man whose face had gone pale as mother's milk, and his huge rounded lavender eyes rose to stare blankly into her worried face. "He told me his is 27 years old, and he had been looking for you for years. He has your nose and mouth, and his eyes are the same shape as yours, but they are a very deep blue instead of purple. His hair is a dark reddish-brown, and its long down to his waist... just like yours." Kuumi took a tentative step towards her shocked and dumbstruck Uncle. "He told me he grew up all alone... He said he grew up without a family or parents... someone else raised him. He never knew his Mother, and He has been looking for you because he wants to know where he came from... He wants to try and be your son, Uncle Ken, he wants to take your name for his own." Kuumi moved completely away from her mother's side and approached the shocked man who had risen numbly to his feet and was now standing still as a stone statue. "Uncle Kenshin?" She reached out and touched the cold paleness of his beloved face and watched as his eyes finally focused on hers. "Are you alright? Uncle Ken?"
"27 years?" he whispered in a ragged voice.
"Yes."
"Dear God... That would make him..." His eyes closed and a look of purest agony crossed his face just before he buryied it in his hands. "Oh noooo... God nooo..." He breathed. "It cannot be."
"Kenshin?" Kaoru was at his side immediately wrapping her arms around him and cradling his head against her shoulders. "What is it? Is this true? Could this man be your son? Kenshin?" Her voice was sharp with concern as she pulled him close.
"Elsbeth..." Was all he said as he let his arms steal around her waist and his forehead dropped to the curve her shoulder. "Dear God in Heaven... Elsbeth."
"Oh no." Kaoru's head fell back as she finally understood what he was infereing, and as she did, a memory flashed across her mind quick as a lightening strike. She was back in that horrible dungeon inside the Imperial Palace, and Elsbeth was talking to her about how she and Kenshin had once been lovers. Kaoru remembered asking Elsbeth what she had ever given Kenshin and she could still hear the woman's raving screams, "I gave him everything, I even gave him..." And she had never quite finished the sentence. Now Kaoru knew what was at the end of those hastily cut off words. "I even gave him A SON."
"It is true... Isn't it, Kenshin? It is true. This man... This man is your son by Elsbeth. Isn't he?"
"It must be. Oh God, Kaoru." His voice sounded broken and filled with grief. "She stole my son from me... She must have known she was pregnant when she left me in Tokyo all those years ago... Bu why? Why did she never tell me? Dear God, Why?" His voice cracked on a sob as his arms tightened around her waist and he pressed his face tighter against the softness of her shoulder. "How could she do that to me? To him? Oh my son... my poor son."
"Me Padre??" A strange deep voice drifted across the short distance of the room, and Kenshin turned stiff in his wife's arms. "Me Otousan? You Otousan??" A shiver of spirit recognition slithered up Kenshin's spine as he pulled away from the comfort of his beloveds embrace and turned a tear-wet face in the direction of that deep voice. A harsh sob broke from his throat as he laid eyes upon the man who stood uncertainly at the sho-ji.
He was perhaps an inch or two taller than Kenshin, and Kuumi was right, He had his Fathers nose and mouth, and; although the eyes were a different color, their shape and placement were definitely the same as Kenshin's as were the arching eyebrows above them. The shape of the face itself was slightly different, and the hair color was that of his Mother's rich chestnut, but the resemblance to the red-haired Samurai was unmistakable. Kenshin's eyes spilled more tears down his face as they drank in the site of the son he had never known existed, a son his heart was crying out for as it recognized the blood flowing in his veins; a son his spirit was pulling him towards as his ki reached out for that which was as much a part of his inner self as Kenji was. It was like finding a piece of his soul; a piece he had not been aware was missing but was over-joyed at finding. What a rare gift, another son of his blood and spirit. Kenshin felt as if his heart were going to burst from the enormous emotions that were filling it, but he would not dismiss those emotions for any reason in the world. He had another son.
From across the room, Christian gazed in amazed wonder at a man he had begun to believe he would never find, but his heart and his soul were telling him beyond any doubt that this man was, indeed, his Father. His eyes absorbed the sight of the overly long flaming red hair that fell like a silken curtain down the man's back easily reaching his hips. He kept it tied back the same as Christian did with his own heavy mass of thick wavey locks. The man was built small, but the aura of strength and power that eminated from his person was unmistakable, and the grace, fluidness of his movements, and natural standing balance belied him as some sort of a fighter. From this appraisal, Christian could see where his natural fighting abilities has come from. He had inherited his talents from this amazing man, as well as his general body build and frame. Because, although the man was perhaps a bit shorter than he was, their body builds were astonishingly similar. But it was the man's face that kept Christian's attention, for it was a face of a thousand words and emotions. The look of profound sorrow and grief that contorted the handsome features was heart wrenching to him, and it was abvious his Father had known nothing about his existance up unto this very moment, and that was a knowledge that was causing him great pain. An agonized gaze of intense sadness was reflected in the most incredible violet eyes he had ever seen, and Christian found himself falling into the bottemless depths of those crystaline jewels as they caressed his face. It was the most perfect face he had ever seen, except for the strange looking cross-scar that marred the smoothness of his left cheek. But that really did not matter to him. He had found his Father, and He was not rejecting him. Rather, it appeared He may be on the verge of accepting him as his son. Christian did not realize it, but he was holding his breath.
"My Aisoku." Kenshin whispered in an sorrow stricken voice as he lifted one trembling hand toward Christian. "I am your Otousan, Himura Kenshin. Okaeri to my Heart, Saiai Ishii. Okaeri to my Ikka. You are my Aisoku, and I know this because My Heart and My Spirit recognize you even as my eyes recognize myself in your face. Come home to my Heart, Himura Chris-tan."
With a deep sob tearing free from his chest, Christian took the necessary steps required to close the distance between himself and the man his own heart told him was his Father, and dropped to his knees in front of him. Christian cried like a small child as he felt the trembling arms wrap around him and pull him close to a warm and muscular chest. Then he felt the tender pressure of kiss after kiss being pressed into the crown of his head as he listened to the distraught voice of the man who held him telling him the same words over and over. He had never heard them before, but thought he understood their meaning just from the tone of his Father's voice. His Father was trying to tell him he loved him. His Father loved him. Christian thought his heart would burst with the happiness he felt. At long last, he had a Father.
"Aishiteru, Saiai-Chris-tan. Aishiteru, My Aisoku, My lost Tenshi... Aishiteru. Welcome home." And heavy sobs began to shake Kenshin's slender frame as this long lost part of his life reached out and wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed his tear stained face against his wildly beating heart. "My son..."
"Me Padre..."
All Kaoru and the others could do was stand aside and watch. Watch and shed tears for a lifetime lost to the bitter winds of one woman's deep hatreds and twisted beliefs.
Kenji was as stunned as his father if not more so. He had another brother, but this was diffrent. This brother was of the same blood as he was. This brother shared the Himura blood and Kenji could feel the pull of Christian's spirit-ki just as keenly as Kenshin had, and he felt compelled to approach the pair as they were locked in a fierce embrace. Kenji did not know what he was going to do when he got there, but he could not deny the pull of his brother's spirit on his own and so he continued his slow walk towards 'his' blood family.
"Kenji!" Kaoru hissed at him and reached out in an attempt to grab his gi and stop him, but she missed and he slipped past her in complete oblivion of her anxious warning. 'Oh no.' She agonized in her heart. 'What is going to happen now? Kenji? Baby? What are you doing?'
A tentative hand reached slowly forward and gently came to rest on one of Christian's shoulders. He jerked violently as he became aware of the foriegn contact immediately. Kenshin looked up from where he had been resting his cheek on top of Chritian's head and met the wide questioning aqua-blue eyes of his youngest son. Carefully he removed one of his arms from around Christian's shoulders, and his older son turned and looked for the first time on the face of a brother he had never known. He trembled. It was a face not so unlike his own. Except for a few details such as coloring and facial shape, it was almost like looking in a mirror. Recognition hit the two brothers full force, and Christian turned around and rose to his feet to fully face his brother.
There were gasps of shock and surprise echoing around the room as wide astonished eyes noticed the startling resemblances, and a feeling of general unease settled in the air. Even Kuumi, who had spent a significant amount of time with Christian, had not picked up on the incredible similarities he had with her 'cousin', and as she looked at them now, standing face to face, she felt a cold shiver of apprehension slide up her spine and stop to tingle in the base of her skull. Something was wrong.
Kaoru was holding her breath. It was almost like looking at the same spirit, only cut in half showing both the lighter and darker sides of its character. A feeling of darkness came to her and wrapped itself around her soul. It was a bad Omen, and Kaoru was suddenly afraid though she could not say exactly why.
As the ultra-emotion filled dark purple-blue eyes met and locked with the wide uncertain aqua-blue crystals, something frightening occured within the small crowded room of the Saitou home.
An enormous wave of ki energy, that no one was prepared for, exploded outward from Kenji and Christian and slammed into everyone sending those who were standing stumbling and sprawling to the floor, and those who were already on the floor sliding a good few yards from where they had originally been. Only Kenshin seemed to be unaffected by the jolt of energy, and only he seemed to understand what had caused it as well.
The brothers spirit-ki's were almost identically matched in energy and power signitures so that when they 'reached out' to touch one another for the first time, the reaction had been a proactive one instead of a passive brush of acknowlegment. Their ki's were reacting off one another like fire and dynamite... It was if one were acting as an antagonistic catalyst for the other and visa versa. Kenshin's brow furrowed in deep concern as he considered the implications of this strange event. This was perhaps unfortunate. Definately not what he had expected. If not handled properly, it could have dangerous, even catastrophic results. This was not good, and it worried him deeply.
"What in the bloody blue blazes of the seven Hell's was THAT??" Saitou stood up and shook his head as if trying to clear it, then he starting picking imaginary lint off his blue uniform.
"Haijime, watch your mouth... The boys."
"What about the boys? They are old enough to learn how to swear for Godsake, Tokio. Besides, I am allowed a few choice cuss words right now considering what just happened. Don't you THINK?"
"Oh All right." She grinned and started to help him brush off his uniform. Ruakii and Tokken grinned at each other and trotted off to help Yahiko and Soujiro up off the floor. It appeared everyone else was on their own. Kuumi, Quii and Kaoru were helping each other, and everyone had the same look on their faces. It was the same look that Saitou's words had already voiced. 'What the hell happened?'
"Well, Himura? What the hell was that? I think it blew the windows out for a block or two away. Shit!"
"I am not altogether certain, Saitou, but if I were to guess, I would have to say that Kenji and Chis-tan's ki's are not compatable to each other."
"Not compatable? What the hell does that mean?" Saitou's face mirrored the confused apprehension in his voice as he met the worried violet gaze of his friend. "What are you talking about? Not compatable? I have never heard of such a thing?"
"Neither have I, but they seem to be comprised of completely opposite energy signitures and it would appear they have a rather explosive effect on one another."
"No shit. Aren't you just the big genious." Hiko's voice finally joined all of the rest, and it was thick with sarcasm as usual. "It seems you have solved yet another great mystery, Sochi."
"Well, Chichi, do you have a better explanation?" Kenshin snapped at the older man who was rubbing a sore spot on his head where he had bumped it on the wall during his slide across the floor.
"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't, Sochi, but I am sure not in the mood to discuss it with YOU right now." He snapped back in bruised irritation.
"Fine, then keep the rest of your opinions to yourself. If you cannot be helpful, Chichioya, then be quiet." Kenshin's anger was palpable, and Hiko was in no mood to parry words with him at the moment, he was too busy trying to figure out just how Elsbeth had pulled off hiding a child from Kenshin for so many years. And he was also trying to figure out what it was about the young man that was just not setting quite right with him. Something was odd about the young Spaniard, and Hiko could not put his finger on it just yet. But he would figure it out eventually. He always did.
Thus Tsuki-san has borne The Gemini. Until next chapter. :P
Stay tuned for Chapter Nine... 'The Becoming of The Warrior of Truth'
Chapter Ten... 'Child of The Damned'
Please Read and Review :P
If you would be so kind.
ttfn
Chapter Eight
The Beautiful Gemini
It had already been a day filled with heart-wrenching revelations for the Himura family as Kenshin and Kaoru had finally sat down with their youngest son and told him the long story of his Father's past, his parents coming together, and the the tale of The White Warrior.
Kenji had sat in rapt awe as Kaoru told the story of the making of the Elemental Army, the Battle of the Zombie Horde, the long and dangerous look for Yahiko through the underground prison, and how she and Kuumi had been incarcerated in the dank dungeon of the old Palace. Then she told him about Kenshin's battle with the Devil's Destroying Angel and The Devil himself as well as the war fought by his Elemental Army against the Demon horde that had descended into the Throne Room on the tails of the 'Demon's Finger'. She explained about Yahiko's incredible wildling ki and how he and Soujiro had ultimately saved everyone by defeating Acuma with the pure power of his spirit and Soujiro's 'Sword of Heaven'.
Then she moved on to finish the story by telling Kenji in better detail his own part that He had played in the incredible goings on that had occured that terrible night, and how in the end it was still his father's sword that had ended the life of the Devil's Witch who had sought to use them all for such an evil and horrible purpose. The young swordsman had listened with extreme intent to his mother's every word, and when she was finally finished he had bowed his head and remained still for a very long time. No one moved to touch or disturb him as Kenshin sternly shook his head indicating that Kenji needed the time to come to terms with all of the information he had just received. So, a respectful silence was maintained for the sake of the obviously troubled young man.
At last, after what seemed a small eternity, Kenji opened his mouth and spoke in a low but clear voice.
"Otousan?" He asked in troubled ambivalence.
"Hai, my son?"
"How did you change into the 'Spirit of the Tiger' that night? What gave you and the others the power to manifest your ki's into a physical form?"
"It was the night of The Autumn Moon, Kenji-san, and Elsbeth was indeed a powerful witch. There was much magick flowing freely through the air that night, and it was the eve of My Destiny. I believe it was supposed to happen that way. That I do."
"Were you not afraid, Otousan?"
"Afraid? Hai, I was afraid... I was afraid of failing and of what would happen to the world if I did."
"Were you not afraid of dying?"
"The thought of dying was secondary to the thought of what would befall the innocents if I failed... and what would happen to you and your Mother... and your brothers as well."
"You loved us so much even then?"
"Hai. I have always loved you, Kenji-san."
"And my brothers?"
"I have loved them as well. Why do you ask?"
"You have saved each of us from certain death once. Soujirou and Yahiko during that time, and mysef as well, but before I was born, and each time you have risked your own life at great peril to save us."
"Is something bothering you, Kenji-san?" Kenshin asked with gentle concern, "What is on your mind, my son?"
"How does a man who was so entrenched within the bonds of murder and the glory of blood-shed learn to love so deeply that he would risk all he is and all he has to save the life of another?"
"I would like to answer that question, if I may be permited, My Father." Yahiko reached out and touched Kenshin's arm gently and met the shocked mans wide eyed gaze with understanding sherry colored eyes. At Kenshin's nod, Yahiko faced his younger brother's direction and began to speak in a slow even tone of humility and deep respect.
"I once asked a very simular question, Kenji-san, My Brother. But my question was asked concerning our Older brother, Soujirou. As you have recently discovered, Soujirou is, or rather, was the infamous 'Tenken' who is revered as one of the deadliest shadow assassians of the post Bakumatsu era. When I met Sou-san, it was shortly after he had given up his name of 'Tenken' and he was in the middle of his journey trying to discover the truth of life and life's emotions. You see, Kenji-san," Yahiko paused and took a deep breath as he let his memory roll back over the long years. "There was a time when our beloved Soujirou had no emotions whatsoever."
Kenji's head whipped up and he stared at Yahiko's calm face in disbelief as a picture of their VERY emotionally expressive eldest brother came to mind. "What? No emotions? What are you saying?"
"He felt nothing except... Joy, I suppose you could say. He felt no anger, no sadness, no guilt, no regret... He was the perfect assassin, Kenji-san. He killed without guile or remorse, and he was very good at it. He killed quickly and silently... He would be finished and gone before anyone realized he had even been there."
"I do not believe that!" The note of panicked outrage in Kenji's voice made both Kenshin and Kaoru flinch. This was going to be harding than they had anticipated.
"Whether you believe it or not, Kodora, it is the truth." Kenshin reached out and placed a gently hand of comfort and understanding on his youngest son's trembling shoulder. "I know it is hard to acceptl."
"Otousan??" Pale aqua-blue eyes filled with the anxiety of lost innocence searched Kenchin's face in vain as they looked for some other truth or meaning behind the words that were being said. But they found only the same truth, and they could not accept it.
"It is the truth, Kenji-san." Kenshin's gentle violet gaze reached out and locked with the anxiety ridden one of his son, and he lifted his hand from Kenji's shoulder to cup his cool cheek in the warmth of its palm. "Soujirou and I had many things in commen within the make-up of our basic individualities. We suffered from many of the same flaws and lacked many of the same characterists. It was one of the reasons we were able to bond so closely... We understood each other's pain... the long years of compensating for the lonliness and the profound effect it had upon our souls. It was why I wanted to be there for him when he started to struggle upon the path of enlightenment... It was why I loved him so much when he began to emerge and I saw the man he was becoming, and it is why I love him still."
"But I do not understand, Otousan? You were assassin's... you murdered people... for whatever reasons were given to you, but it was still murderer." Kenji shook his head in consternation and looked away from his father's face to gaze into space with empty anxious eyes as he struggled with the conflict in his mind and heart.
"What is a Murderer, Kenji?" Yahiko's voice was low but it held a slightly harsh tone.
"What do you mean, Yahiko?" The youth's face reflected his wariness at the abruptly stated question. "What are you wanting me to say?"
"I want you to tell me what you beleive a Murderer is, little brother. I think the question was very clear. There should be no misunderstanding what I want from you. Now, answer the question, Kodora."
"I... I suppose that a Murderer is someone who kills without purpose, motive, or rational." The voice was hesitant and filled with indecision.
"All right, I can accept that as one answer, but that is too broad of an explanation, and it only describes one kind of Murderer."
"One kind? You mean there are more than one kind?" Kenji sounded horrified by the prospect of there being multiple types of murderers in the world.
"Of course. There are as many different kinds of Murderers as there are different kinds of people, little brother. I want you to consider this, when Sofu found our Father as a small child, he killed several men to stop them from killing Father... They did not provoke him or attack him. In fact, he caught them by surprise. Does that make him a Murderer?"
"Ne... He killed to save a child." Kenji was becoming even more confused as he turned and found the stoic face of his Grandfather setting among the many faces in the small room. Hiko merely nodded and said nothing.
"Hai." Yahiko continued. "Now consider this, your Auntie Misao and Uncle Aoshi were once very skilled Ninja and both of them are responsible for the deaths of many people. Misao killed while she was engaged in battle with the Juppen Gatana, and Aoshi was once a body guard for a well known and disliked Drug Lord and was forced to kill many people to protect him. Are they Murderers?"
"N-ne... War and Guardianship are not murder but a necessity." Now Kenji's confused eyes crossed with those of his two cousins, Ruakii and Tokken who were setting on either side of Yahiko raptly listening to every word he said, their young faces looking just as confused as Kenji felt.
"Hai. Lastly, consider this. Auntie Megumi was held prisoner by a Drug King who forced her to manufacture an extremely pure opium which he in turn sold to distributors on the streets, who in turn sold it to whom ever wished to buy it. Many young children and teenagers were found dead from over-doses of her pure opium. Since she made it, was she the Murderer responsible for the deaths of all of those children?"
"I... Ne... How could she know?" A movement off to his left caught his attention for a split instant, and Kenji watch as Quii scurried in to set next to her mother. Her wild yellow eyes were filled with anxiety, and he wondered briefly how much of this conversation she had heard, and what she was thinking. 'Quii? Do you think I am a fool?' He wondered as a tiny ache of fear squeezed his heart.
"But she did know. She was forced to continue to make the drug at the threat of her own life. Is she a Murderer?"
"Ne... I... I do not know." Kenji dropped his head and became silent once again. 'Why can I not understand this? Why does it not make sense to me? What is wrong with me, Otousan?'
"Are you beginning to understand, Kenji-san?"
"I... I am not certain I know what I am supposed to understand." The youth was becoming distressed and withdrawn the more he tried to understand his brother's confusing logic, and the room full of his adult family exchanged worried looks over what to do next. But their dilemma was solved for them in a very unique and unforseen way.
"Let me help you, Kenji-san." The soft cultured voice of Seta Soujiro floated into the room, and everyone's eyes turned towards the sho-ji where he had been quietly standing for quite some time it seemed, though not one of them had noticed his presance. He favored them all with his trademark merry smile as he stepped quietly into the crowded room and steathfully approached his youngest brother. Only Soujiro was still able to effectively mask his ki from everyone when he wanted to hide his presance and remain unnoticed. Kenshin could as well, though he chose not too for many reasons.
As Soujiro lowered himself to the floor beside Kenji, he began to speak in his usual light and airy voice, only today it was tinged with an uncustomary hardness that Kenji had rarely heard before, and he gazed into his brother's angelic face in mild surprise. "Allow me to try and answer your question, little brother. You do not understand how a Murderer can change into a loving and devoted human-being? Is this right. Kenji nodded his head silently. "Very well. Listen to me carefully, Kodora, because what I am about to tell you may be, perhaps, the most important thing you ever learn."
"Why do you say that, Sou-san?" Kenji's eyes grew wider in his pale face as he met the serious blue-gray gaze of his eldest brother.
"Because, Kodora, it will show the world in a different light. You will learn to look at people from a new perspective, and it will teach you not to judge what you do not understand."
"Is that what you think I am doing, Sou-san? Judging you and Otousan?" Kenji was taken aback by the thought that his father and brother might be thinking he was judging them for their actions. That had never been his intention.
"Of course it is. You do not understand what it means to be what we once were because you have never lived the lives we lived. You have never experienced or seen any of the things we have, and that makes you unqualified to judge either of us upon what you believe or disbelieve about our pasts."
"I am not trying to be a Judge, I just do not understand how a man can change so drastically from one who holds no respect for life to one that values it above all things... even himself." 'Please help me understand, Sou-san. Please.'
Soujiro nodded and leaned over to take his brothers hand between both of his, and then he locked eyes with him. "Everyone is a Murderer, Kodora, and No one is a Killer. The beast lives within us all, and the ability to take another life exists just beneath the surface of the face we show to the people we love. But, when the bloodied soul is given the chance to step onto a new path, and when it is greeted with open arms and offered the gift of unconditional love and acceptance, a miracle of the grandest proportions is made possible. An assassin can never wash the blood of those he has murdered from his hands, but he can be given the chance to repent and make ammends for his sins by choosing to live a better life and using the skills he has to help those around him. In this way, his soul can be reborn, his spirit can find its way along a path of higher enlightenment, he can find a measure of peace for his soul, and eventually he may even find happiness. That is what I learned from Otousan, and now it is time you learned it from me, young one." Soujiro kept eye contact with Kenji during his entire explanation, and as he finished, he lifted a hand and gently touched the the pale somewhat bewildered face. "Are you beginning to understand, my young brother?"
"I... I think so, but... how do you change? How do you learn to love when all you have ever known is blood and hate?" 'What is the answer?'
"It is simple, Kodora. You reach out with your heart and your mind, and you take what is offered to you. And once it is yours, you hold onto it with all your might, mind, and spirit and you never let go."
"But what is THAT ONE THING? What are you talking about? What is IT that you are offered that you are holding onto? That is what I do not understand. THAT ONE THING is what you are telling me makes you capable of such a miraculous change, but I do not understand what IT is."
"Love, my beautiful little brother. IT is LOVE."
"LOVE? That is all? Just Love?" Kenji looked incredulous and almost disappointed by Soujiro's answer. 'It cannot be that simple, can it?'
"Just Love??" Soujiro burst into musical laughter and reached out to pull Kenji into his strong arms and hugged him close. "Oh Kenji, Kenji... How can you say 'just love' when the emotion of 'love' is the most important thing to the human soul in this entire world? It is the food that feeds the spirit and keeps it strong, little brother. Do you not know this? The human soul would die without Love."
"I suppose I do... I have just never thought about it quite in that way before. That I have not." 'Is the answer really that simple? Can Love truly do ALL of that if you believe it can? I wonder...'
"Then it is time you did, Young one. It is time you did. The power of Love does not just save lives, it can change them as well. Love, Kenji, has the power to do anything. You only have to believe in it for it to happen. You only have to believe. IT is what saved both my soul AND Otousan's from an eternity of dispair and pain. Love is the most powerful force in this Universe. Never forget that, Kenji. Never forget that."
Kenji nodded, and then sat thoughtful for a moment. "Whose Love changed you, Soujiro?"
"Otousan's and your Auntie Misao and Uncle Aoshi's."
"Auntie Misao and Uncle Aoshi??"
"Yes. They accepted me into their home and made me part of the Onniwabanshu family despite my past, and they did it even though we had once been bitter enemies. They were the first real family I had, and they gave me the first real home I ever knew. The beginning of thefirst true changes within me began with them. I owe them my life just as much as I do Otousan. We are all Family, perhaps you are beginning to understand more now why that is so. It goes beyond just being friends for so many years. There are reasons behind those friendships. Now you know some of them."
"I never knew..." Kenji's eyes were filled with awe and a new level of respect as he looked into Soujiro's smiling face. 'Maybe it is true.'
"I know that, Kodora-san. There are many things in the past that are very painful for US to remember, and sometimes we forget that you do not know the same things we do. For that, you must try to understand and forgive us if we forget to tell you. It is not that we wish to keep secrets from you, but instead, we wish to spare ourselves the pain of remembering things we would rather forget and leave buried in the past."
"I think I am finally understanding. It is just so odd to look at all of you and try to imagine what you must have been like back then. It is difficult for me. It is... untangible... it is unreal."
"Believe me when I tell you, we understand you when you say that, Kenji-san." Yahiko's voice rose and captured everyone's attention once more. "Sometimes it is difficult for US to remember how we were back then. Perhaps we do not want to remember. Many of the memories are difficult and feel almost foriegn as if they happened to someone else. It feels unreal to us at times as well."
"That it does." Kenshin's soft tenor voice floated over to his son and caressed his spirit in a reassuring touch of love and understanding. "We have all changed so much, Kenji-san, that it is often hard to identify ourselves to the selves of our past. Very hard indeed."
"I never understood, Otousan. Please forgive me for being so harsh." 'I am a fool. The answer has been in front of me my whole life, but I had never noticed it. I am a true fool. Forgive me, My Father.'
"There is nothing to forgive, My Son." A gentle smile covered Kenshin's face as he gazed into his son's wide aqua-blue eyes. "As long as you understand now, there is nothing to forgive." Then his tender gaze shifted to rest on the glowing face of his eldest son, and the smile grew a tad wider. "What an interesting surprise you turned out to be." He said in an amused and pleased tone.
"I do try, Otousan" And Soujiro transfered his arms from his youngest brother to his Father and pulled his close for a warm embrace. "It is good to see you, My Father. It has been far too long since my looked on your face."
"And mine on yours, My beautiful Son. Thank-you for being here."
"Not even the Demon's of Hell could keep me away, Otou." Soujiro chuckled against his fathers shoulders, and within moments almost everyone in the small room had caught on to his drole joke and He was being pelted with pillows and tabi's.
"Soujiro, that was a very stupid joke." Kaoru's eyes were dancing with humor as she held her arms open for him to come to her. "It does not even deserve half a giggle, that it does not." But she did favor him with a huge smile as he dropped, grinning wickedly, into her waiting embrace and buryied his face against her soft neck.
"It was worth it just to see you smile, Okaasan. I have dearly missed your beautiful smile." Years before Soujiro had surprised Kaoru by making up his own mind and choosing to call her 'Mother'. It had been a little bit uncomfortable for her for a little while because the two of them were so close in age, but after a couple of years it occured to her that he was so emotionally young in comparison to her, it might actually be a good idea if he had a 'Mother' figure in his life. So, Kaoru had become Seta Soujiro's Okaasan, and thus it had remained ever since. "I have missed you both so very much." He whispered for her ears alone as he pressed a gentle kiss against her smooth cheek. "It is wonderful to see you."
"Oh Soujiro..." Kaoru choked on his name as a lump rose up in her throat, and she pulled him closer kissing his neck. "We always miss you when you are gone. You do not come home often enough anymore. You need to come home more... Onegai, My Dear One. Please come home to us more often." She pressed her nose into his fine brown hair and breathed in the scent of him almost as if her were a baby. "The Dojo seems so empty when you are not in it. Please come home."
"I will try, Okaa. I promise, I will try." And then Seta Soujiro shed a happy tear for the beautiful woman he called Mother and held onto her for a long while.
Things were just beginning to calm down as the newness of Soujiro's appearance was wearing off, and the anxiety of Kenji's emotion's died down when suddenly the sho-ji slid open and a pensive, but obviously excited Kuumi stepped though. It was easy to see by the look on her face that something very important was going on, and she was just about to burst with the information.
Kaoru was the closest to her so she reached out and grasped the younger woman's hand and captured her attention. "What is it, Sweetling? You look as if you just found out the best secret in the whole world or something like it. What is going on? Did something happen? Your Mother said she sent you to Market did something happen to you down there?"
"Oh yes, oh yes... something completely amazing and totally unbelievable happened. I am not even sure where to begin to tell you about it... It is just so... unbelievably ,incredible." Her blue-green eyes were shining like highly polished jewels and her face was lit with a brilliant smile of pure joy. Kuumi was happier than anyone had ever seen her, and that in itself was cause for curiosity.
"Well, what is it Koishii?" Tokio moved into the crowed room and carefully approached her beaming daughter. "You have everyone's attention now, so tell us what happened."
"Well... I met a young man at the Market this morning."
"A young man??" Saitou's outraged voice boomed through the room as he surged to his feet. "Kuumi!"
"Now wait Otousan, he is a very nice young man... He was a perfect gentleman so do not go blowing up... Listen to me first, please."
"Haijime... Let's listen to what she has to say before we jump to conslusions." Tokio glared at her fuming husband, then turned back to her daughter. "All right, now tell us about this young man you met. What is his name."
"Chis-tan... I think he might be a Spaniard..."
"A Spaniard!!!"
"Haijime!!!" Saitou clamped his mouth shut and slunk into the corner where he lit a cigarette and began to smoke it sullenly an angry scowl on his thin face.
"All right, he is a Spaniard. Now Kuumi, dear..." Tokio's voice was slightly reproachful as she looked into her daughters beaming face.
"Okaasan, please listen... we bumbed into each other and he accidentally knocked me to the ground. He was very apologetic and helped me up. His japanese is poor, but we were able to talk a little bit."
"You talked to him? Without being introduced? Kuumi!" The shock in Tokio's voice was abundantly apparent and her eyes widened in disapproval.
"Okaasan... Please!"
"All right, all right... continue."
"I discovered he was here in Japan looking for his Father. He had never met his father but knew he lived here in Japan somewhere. I asked if he knew his father's name because I thought perhaps Otou might be able to help him find his father. After all, Otousan does have a lot of connections with the Police."
"Yes, Of course... go on."
"He was very excited about that... our being able to talk, because he has been looking for his father for years and years without any luck."
"And what does that have to do with you, Koishii?"
" He... he told me his father's name and..." Kuumi stopped as her voice grew tight with emotion. She swallowed hard and tried to speak again. "When he told me his father's name... I had to bring him here."
"YOU BROUGHT HIM HOME WITH YOU??" Saitou raged and shot to his feet once more. "What in the hell do you think your doing, young lady? Have you lost your mind bringing a stranger to our home? What were you thinking? Have your wits left you completely, Kuumi?"
"But Otousan, Chris-tan's father is... he is... It's Uncle Kenshin."
As those words fell from Kuumi's soft lips, the entire room became deathy quiet and still as a cemetary on a cold misty morning. Not one person moved nor did they speak. The level of surprise, disbelief, denial, and incredulilty that filled the crowded space was suffocating, and there was hardly a breath being drawn.
"He... he knows you never knew about him, Uncle Ken..." She whispered to the man whose face had gone pale as mother's milk, and his huge rounded lavender eyes rose to stare blankly into her worried face. "He told me his is 27 years old, and he had been looking for you for years. He has your nose and mouth, and his eyes are the same shape as yours, but they are a very deep blue instead of purple. His hair is a dark reddish-brown, and its long down to his waist... just like yours." Kuumi took a tentative step towards her shocked and dumbstruck Uncle. "He told me he grew up all alone... He said he grew up without a family or parents... someone else raised him. He never knew his Mother, and He has been looking for you because he wants to know where he came from... He wants to try and be your son, Uncle Ken, he wants to take your name for his own." Kuumi moved completely away from her mother's side and approached the shocked man who had risen numbly to his feet and was now standing still as a stone statue. "Uncle Kenshin?" She reached out and touched the cold paleness of his beloved face and watched as his eyes finally focused on hers. "Are you alright? Uncle Ken?"
"27 years?" he whispered in a ragged voice.
"Yes."
"Dear God... That would make him..." His eyes closed and a look of purest agony crossed his face just before he buryied it in his hands. "Oh noooo... God nooo..." He breathed. "It cannot be."
"Kenshin?" Kaoru was at his side immediately wrapping her arms around him and cradling his head against her shoulders. "What is it? Is this true? Could this man be your son? Kenshin?" Her voice was sharp with concern as she pulled him close.
"Elsbeth..." Was all he said as he let his arms steal around her waist and his forehead dropped to the curve her shoulder. "Dear God in Heaven... Elsbeth."
"Oh no." Kaoru's head fell back as she finally understood what he was infereing, and as she did, a memory flashed across her mind quick as a lightening strike. She was back in that horrible dungeon inside the Imperial Palace, and Elsbeth was talking to her about how she and Kenshin had once been lovers. Kaoru remembered asking Elsbeth what she had ever given Kenshin and she could still hear the woman's raving screams, "I gave him everything, I even gave him..." And she had never quite finished the sentence. Now Kaoru knew what was at the end of those hastily cut off words. "I even gave him A SON."
"It is true... Isn't it, Kenshin? It is true. This man... This man is your son by Elsbeth. Isn't he?"
"It must be. Oh God, Kaoru." His voice sounded broken and filled with grief. "She stole my son from me... She must have known she was pregnant when she left me in Tokyo all those years ago... Bu why? Why did she never tell me? Dear God, Why?" His voice cracked on a sob as his arms tightened around her waist and he pressed his face tighter against the softness of her shoulder. "How could she do that to me? To him? Oh my son... my poor son."
"Me Padre??" A strange deep voice drifted across the short distance of the room, and Kenshin turned stiff in his wife's arms. "Me Otousan? You Otousan??" A shiver of spirit recognition slithered up Kenshin's spine as he pulled away from the comfort of his beloveds embrace and turned a tear-wet face in the direction of that deep voice. A harsh sob broke from his throat as he laid eyes upon the man who stood uncertainly at the sho-ji.
He was perhaps an inch or two taller than Kenshin, and Kuumi was right, He had his Fathers nose and mouth, and; although the eyes were a different color, their shape and placement were definitely the same as Kenshin's as were the arching eyebrows above them. The shape of the face itself was slightly different, and the hair color was that of his Mother's rich chestnut, but the resemblance to the red-haired Samurai was unmistakable. Kenshin's eyes spilled more tears down his face as they drank in the site of the son he had never known existed, a son his heart was crying out for as it recognized the blood flowing in his veins; a son his spirit was pulling him towards as his ki reached out for that which was as much a part of his inner self as Kenji was. It was like finding a piece of his soul; a piece he had not been aware was missing but was over-joyed at finding. What a rare gift, another son of his blood and spirit. Kenshin felt as if his heart were going to burst from the enormous emotions that were filling it, but he would not dismiss those emotions for any reason in the world. He had another son.
From across the room, Christian gazed in amazed wonder at a man he had begun to believe he would never find, but his heart and his soul were telling him beyond any doubt that this man was, indeed, his Father. His eyes absorbed the sight of the overly long flaming red hair that fell like a silken curtain down the man's back easily reaching his hips. He kept it tied back the same as Christian did with his own heavy mass of thick wavey locks. The man was built small, but the aura of strength and power that eminated from his person was unmistakable, and the grace, fluidness of his movements, and natural standing balance belied him as some sort of a fighter. From this appraisal, Christian could see where his natural fighting abilities has come from. He had inherited his talents from this amazing man, as well as his general body build and frame. Because, although the man was perhaps a bit shorter than he was, their body builds were astonishingly similar. But it was the man's face that kept Christian's attention, for it was a face of a thousand words and emotions. The look of profound sorrow and grief that contorted the handsome features was heart wrenching to him, and it was abvious his Father had known nothing about his existance up unto this very moment, and that was a knowledge that was causing him great pain. An agonized gaze of intense sadness was reflected in the most incredible violet eyes he had ever seen, and Christian found himself falling into the bottemless depths of those crystaline jewels as they caressed his face. It was the most perfect face he had ever seen, except for the strange looking cross-scar that marred the smoothness of his left cheek. But that really did not matter to him. He had found his Father, and He was not rejecting him. Rather, it appeared He may be on the verge of accepting him as his son. Christian did not realize it, but he was holding his breath.
"My Aisoku." Kenshin whispered in an sorrow stricken voice as he lifted one trembling hand toward Christian. "I am your Otousan, Himura Kenshin. Okaeri to my Heart, Saiai Ishii. Okaeri to my Ikka. You are my Aisoku, and I know this because My Heart and My Spirit recognize you even as my eyes recognize myself in your face. Come home to my Heart, Himura Chris-tan."
With a deep sob tearing free from his chest, Christian took the necessary steps required to close the distance between himself and the man his own heart told him was his Father, and dropped to his knees in front of him. Christian cried like a small child as he felt the trembling arms wrap around him and pull him close to a warm and muscular chest. Then he felt the tender pressure of kiss after kiss being pressed into the crown of his head as he listened to the distraught voice of the man who held him telling him the same words over and over. He had never heard them before, but thought he understood their meaning just from the tone of his Father's voice. His Father was trying to tell him he loved him. His Father loved him. Christian thought his heart would burst with the happiness he felt. At long last, he had a Father.
"Aishiteru, Saiai-Chris-tan. Aishiteru, My Aisoku, My lost Tenshi... Aishiteru. Welcome home." And heavy sobs began to shake Kenshin's slender frame as this long lost part of his life reached out and wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed his tear stained face against his wildly beating heart. "My son..."
"Me Padre..."
All Kaoru and the others could do was stand aside and watch. Watch and shed tears for a lifetime lost to the bitter winds of one woman's deep hatreds and twisted beliefs.
Kenji was as stunned as his father if not more so. He had another brother, but this was diffrent. This brother was of the same blood as he was. This brother shared the Himura blood and Kenji could feel the pull of Christian's spirit-ki just as keenly as Kenshin had, and he felt compelled to approach the pair as they were locked in a fierce embrace. Kenji did not know what he was going to do when he got there, but he could not deny the pull of his brother's spirit on his own and so he continued his slow walk towards 'his' blood family.
"Kenji!" Kaoru hissed at him and reached out in an attempt to grab his gi and stop him, but she missed and he slipped past her in complete oblivion of her anxious warning. 'Oh no.' She agonized in her heart. 'What is going to happen now? Kenji? Baby? What are you doing?'
A tentative hand reached slowly forward and gently came to rest on one of Christian's shoulders. He jerked violently as he became aware of the foriegn contact immediately. Kenshin looked up from where he had been resting his cheek on top of Chritian's head and met the wide questioning aqua-blue eyes of his youngest son. Carefully he removed one of his arms from around Christian's shoulders, and his older son turned and looked for the first time on the face of a brother he had never known. He trembled. It was a face not so unlike his own. Except for a few details such as coloring and facial shape, it was almost like looking in a mirror. Recognition hit the two brothers full force, and Christian turned around and rose to his feet to fully face his brother.
There were gasps of shock and surprise echoing around the room as wide astonished eyes noticed the startling resemblances, and a feeling of general unease settled in the air. Even Kuumi, who had spent a significant amount of time with Christian, had not picked up on the incredible similarities he had with her 'cousin', and as she looked at them now, standing face to face, she felt a cold shiver of apprehension slide up her spine and stop to tingle in the base of her skull. Something was wrong.
Kaoru was holding her breath. It was almost like looking at the same spirit, only cut in half showing both the lighter and darker sides of its character. A feeling of darkness came to her and wrapped itself around her soul. It was a bad Omen, and Kaoru was suddenly afraid though she could not say exactly why.
As the ultra-emotion filled dark purple-blue eyes met and locked with the wide uncertain aqua-blue crystals, something frightening occured within the small crowded room of the Saitou home.
An enormous wave of ki energy, that no one was prepared for, exploded outward from Kenji and Christian and slammed into everyone sending those who were standing stumbling and sprawling to the floor, and those who were already on the floor sliding a good few yards from where they had originally been. Only Kenshin seemed to be unaffected by the jolt of energy, and only he seemed to understand what had caused it as well.
The brothers spirit-ki's were almost identically matched in energy and power signitures so that when they 'reached out' to touch one another for the first time, the reaction had been a proactive one instead of a passive brush of acknowlegment. Their ki's were reacting off one another like fire and dynamite... It was if one were acting as an antagonistic catalyst for the other and visa versa. Kenshin's brow furrowed in deep concern as he considered the implications of this strange event. This was perhaps unfortunate. Definately not what he had expected. If not handled properly, it could have dangerous, even catastrophic results. This was not good, and it worried him deeply.
"What in the bloody blue blazes of the seven Hell's was THAT??" Saitou stood up and shook his head as if trying to clear it, then he starting picking imaginary lint off his blue uniform.
"Haijime, watch your mouth... The boys."
"What about the boys? They are old enough to learn how to swear for Godsake, Tokio. Besides, I am allowed a few choice cuss words right now considering what just happened. Don't you THINK?"
"Oh All right." She grinned and started to help him brush off his uniform. Ruakii and Tokken grinned at each other and trotted off to help Yahiko and Soujiro up off the floor. It appeared everyone else was on their own. Kuumi, Quii and Kaoru were helping each other, and everyone had the same look on their faces. It was the same look that Saitou's words had already voiced. 'What the hell happened?'
"Well, Himura? What the hell was that? I think it blew the windows out for a block or two away. Shit!"
"I am not altogether certain, Saitou, but if I were to guess, I would have to say that Kenji and Chis-tan's ki's are not compatable to each other."
"Not compatable? What the hell does that mean?" Saitou's face mirrored the confused apprehension in his voice as he met the worried violet gaze of his friend. "What are you talking about? Not compatable? I have never heard of such a thing?"
"Neither have I, but they seem to be comprised of completely opposite energy signitures and it would appear they have a rather explosive effect on one another."
"No shit. Aren't you just the big genious." Hiko's voice finally joined all of the rest, and it was thick with sarcasm as usual. "It seems you have solved yet another great mystery, Sochi."
"Well, Chichi, do you have a better explanation?" Kenshin snapped at the older man who was rubbing a sore spot on his head where he had bumped it on the wall during his slide across the floor.
"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't, Sochi, but I am sure not in the mood to discuss it with YOU right now." He snapped back in bruised irritation.
"Fine, then keep the rest of your opinions to yourself. If you cannot be helpful, Chichioya, then be quiet." Kenshin's anger was palpable, and Hiko was in no mood to parry words with him at the moment, he was too busy trying to figure out just how Elsbeth had pulled off hiding a child from Kenshin for so many years. And he was also trying to figure out what it was about the young man that was just not setting quite right with him. Something was odd about the young Spaniard, and Hiko could not put his finger on it just yet. But he would figure it out eventually. He always did.
Thus Tsuki-san has borne The Gemini. Until next chapter. :P
Stay tuned for Chapter Nine... 'The Becoming of The Warrior of Truth'
Chapter Ten... 'Child of The Damned'
Please Read and Review :P
If you would be so kind.
ttfn