To Reveal All
Chapter 19: Revealing Vision
By steelphoenix
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.
Author's Notes: So here we are… I said to kenshinlover2002 that Battousai's going to twist the plot, and here he's done exactly as I said he would… he has totally thrown me for a loop in this chapter. He chucked me a plot twist, and I said, "Okay, let's put that in, it sounds interesting." And now the story is looking to be another three chapters long… /sobs/ And I only planned ten to start with!
I've changed the timeframes for Kenshin's healing a little from the last chapter – he's fast-healing, but he's not Wolverine… He's basically in deep sleep, bordering on coma. With the wounds he sustained, I don't blame him.
Language Notes: The 'Floating World' was the name used for the licensed pleasure quarters of Edo (Old Tokyo) and other cities before the Meiji Era. Customers were free to hire geisha and courtesans, feast at restaurants, and visit kabuki theatres.
Warnings: PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.
"Kenshin…" Kaoru had ignored Sano beyond the 'He'll be fine', and she glided forwards, to kneel by Kenshin's head, as she had done through the night. The blazing hair lay rumpled on the pillow, and she smoothed it with a hand as gentle as sakura petals.
Love filled her face and voice as she looked down at him. "I won't leave you, Kenshin."
---
True to her word, Kaoru didn't leave Kenshin. She refused utterly to remove herself from his room. "I'm not leaving this room until Kenshin does!" was her emphatic reply. Even the fact that she could lose her danna, and thus her reputation as a geisha, did not stir her.
Megumi and Tae related a (slightly censored) version of the events of the night to the okiya mistress when she asked where Kaoru was. Megumi wisely omitted any reference that she had gained her wound by her own sacrifice, and also omitted the fact that Kaoru had killed Shishio and the Kokuryukai, knowing that it would also stain her reputation.
---
A long week passed, with Doctor Genzai checking Kenshin every day. Due to his many wounds, the redhead healed slowly, and it took twice as long as expected for the internal stitching to heal. At the end of the fifteenth day, Doctor Genzai checked it again, and pronounced it healed enough to remove the stitches.
It was a long process, beginning in the late morning, and finishing long after the sun had passed its zenith. Once again, Megumi, Aoshi, and Misao assisted the doctor, handing cloths and turning the unconscious man.
Kaoru had had to be forcibly removed from the room. Doctor Genzai refused to let her stay, for fear that she might faint, or try to disrupt the operation.
I promised I'd stay with him! I have to be there… Though she outwardly appeared to be strong, inside she shivered in fear. Yahiko's comforting arm around her went largely unnoticed.
It is the waiting that is the worst… A chill shot through her. Waiting just outside the room, waiting for sounds of pain, waiting for agony.
Or waiting for death…
"No…" she muttered, just as the shoji slid open. Instantly, she was on her feet, her eyes raised to the person coming out.
It was Doctor Genzai. He gave her a tired smile, trying to reassure her and calm the conflicting emotions evident on her face. As she rushed by him, he sighed. Worry and joy and hope. She has so much to learn. But at least she will learn it with love.
As Kaoru entered the room, the three there looked up. Megumi, who was laying the futon cover back over Kenshin, smiled tiredly at her. Aoshi looked up, and the expression on his face was a faint, but recognisable, relief. Misao dropped the scalpel she was washing, and bounced over to hug Kaoru.
"He's fine, Kaoru! The operation went well, don't worry!"
Slightly startled at the fact that Misao was still bouncy, and the fact that she'd called her 'Kaoru', the young woman smiled down at her, and crossed to the futon.
"He'll be fine, Kaoru. He'll be healed in no time," were Megumi's reassuring words.
Kaoru knelt by the futon, hands clasped in her lap. One hand went out to touch Kenshin's bitten shoulder. "Yes," she replied. "In no time."
Megumi's smile was gentle. "You can trust us. You can leave sometimes."
"No!" snapped out Kaoru, then realised what that sounded like. "Yes, I trust you, but no, I won't leave. I promised Kenshin I wouldn't leave him, and I won't."
---
Kaoru's refusal to leave Kenshin meant that when his forehead heated, and his lips began spewing meaningless babble, early in the morning of the seventeenth day, she was the first to know.
The cause was obvious: the internal stitching may have healed, but the external stitching of the wound had not fared so well. The outer wound had been enlarged from the original sword-thrust, in order that Doctor Genzai could access the intestines, to stitch them. It had been prodded and poked at, at least every two days, sometimes more frequently, and though the wound had been well-dressed, it could easily have gathered dirt or dust, enough to cause infection.
Doctor Genzai cleaned the wound with boiled water for the third time. The stitches, carefully oiled, had been cleaned enough to render them almost as white as the surrounding skin, but the Doctor was still worried.
"Since he did not heal as fast as expected, we may have to restitch the wound, in order to prevent further infection. Unfortunately, he is moving too much for me to even attempt it now. We can do nothing until the fever breaks."
---
That night was hellish for Kaoru. Kenshin moaned, and turned on the futon, calling out incomprehensibly. Names, times, and dates flew from his lips, knowledge from the Bakumatsu – information on those he had to kill. It was for the names that he moved the most, thrashing about and lashing out unconsciously.
Eventually Sano and Aoshi had to come in and pin him to the mattress. Kaoru stayed at his head, stroking his scarred cheek and calling his name.
"Kenshin! Kenshin, love, calm down… I'm here, I'm with you, calm down," was her constant refrain, and eventually it pierced the delirium. The redhead calmed, his fists and feet no longer flying randomly, and though he still moved, it was no longer with such violence.
And he called out her name. Her name, and the name of 'Tomoe'. Kaoru knew of Tomoe, knew the part she had played in Kenshin's life, and realised that he was calling out for those he loved – had loved – most deeply. This alone was enough to reassure her a little more.
---
But Kenshin was still held by the delirium of wound-fever. The dawn came, glowing on the sakura, and the redhead still moaned on his futon. Through the day, Megumi and Sano watched and waited, as Kaoru lay, in an exhausted sleep, on another futon in the room.
"The Missy's exhausted," commented Sano, quietly. "She'll get sick if she doesn't rest more. I mean, staying up all night's not good."
Megumi considered his remark. "Yes, but do remember, she's a geisha, and she frequently stays awake, and entertaining, until the fourth hour of the morning. This is no toll on her body."
"But it's bad for her heart," said Sano. "I mean, if I was sick, what'd you do?"
A quick sigh from Megumi answered his question, and she said, "I suppose you mean that the problems of the heart carry over to the body?"
The ex-fighter nodded. "Yep, that's it. She'll get sick. And if the Missy's sick, Kenshin'll do badly as well."
"Yes. We need to keep her asleep as long as possible." Megumi looked between the two futons. "They need to rest, and heal. Kenshin in body, and Kaoru in heart."
---
As night set in, Megumi roused Kaoru, and the fox-woman flitted off to carry out her duties as a geisha, her shoulder having healed sufficiently by now.
Kaoru settled herself by Kenshin's pillow, readying herself for another long night. Kenshin tossed on the futon, calmed only a little by her hands and voice. As the night wore on, he moved more and more.
"Kaoru! Kaoru! Help me… Help me…!" yelled the unconscious man, thrashing on the pillow, red hair mussed. As Kaoru reached out, pressing his shoulders into the futon, trying to stop him from moving, he grabbed at her – and caught her arm.
Despite being weak from his injuries, his grip was still firm enough that Kaoru couldn't pull out of it easily. He drew her down towards him, wrapping her arm around his waist.
I can't pull away, I can't resist him… he'll injure himself further, knew Kaoru. If she incited a reaction, he could easily rip the wounds, infecting them further.
So she followed his direction, and as he pulled her down, she opened the futon cover, and slipped in beside him. She had the horrible feeling that this was the wrong thing to do, that this would hurt him, but she couldn't shake the conviction that this was the best way to comfort him.
Careful to avoid his wounds, she slipped close, tucking one arm up by his side, and leaving the other where it was, wrapped around his hips.
Almost instantly, his movement slowed, then almost ceased. Though his head still occasionally flicked from side to side, and his mouth still babbled, his hand was clenched tight around hers, and he pulled her close – as close as he could.
Relaxing as much as she dared, Kaoru watched him, occasionally whispering softly or stroking his face when his babble grew louder.
---
Two more long nights passed, Kaoru lying by Kenshin's side, willing her strength to pass to him, willing him to break free of the fever, willing him to heal.
Misao had visited occasionally through the nights, talking to Kaoru, keeping her awake and alert. They chatted about meaningless things, from the best way to tie an obi to the colour of the kimonos they wanted to wear at their weddings.
Sometimes, serious topics arose, and this was how Kaoru came to know the full story of what had happened the night of the rescue. She knew the bare details of Kenshin's fight with Shishio, prior to being knocked out, but now she heard the intimate details – second-hand, admittedly, but they were accurate.
She smiled at Misao's account of Aoshi telling her that they were going away. The love that shone in her face and sparkled in her eyes reminded Kaoru of her own love, and as Misao described being kissed, she stroked Kenshin's hand.
Sometimes Aoshi came to take Misao away, when the ninja girl had been there long enough for her chatter to begin to tire Kaoru. He knew precisely how to halt the flow of her tongue, but sometimes, he simply let her speak, and Kaoru heard them as Misao said goodnight. The quick silences, she needed no imagination to fill. She remembered the previous utter iciness of his personality, and she smiled, and marvelled at the softness the young woman and the short time of peace imparted on him.
But in the long hours when Misao was not there to keep her awake, and Kenshin lay mostly-quiet, she floated in a world that was somewhere between dreaming and waking: a world of visions, a world of peace, a world of realisations and revelations.
She saw, in that time, the future and the past, possibilities endless. She saw two red-haired boys, one who would be the child of the other. She saw three girls, two black-haired and bouncy, one redheaded; and again, two were the children of the other. Other children also appeared: a boy with spiky brown hair, and a girl with black hair and dark eyes.
The black-haired girls walked along an invisible street, and with a gesture, the taller of the two called into being a fan.
Exquisitely painted in red and gold, it sparkled in the light, but the other side, the face that it turned towards the girl, was black. The girl waved the fan, with a dance-like gesture, and a shimmer of sparkling light flew out from it, outlining the edge of a house. The light, now caught, flickered onwards, and with a rush, the building, and the next, and the next, appeared.
The Floating World materialised: the teahouses of Tokyo, the meikos and geishas. The beauty of it was mesmerising, but slowly and silently a dark veil, flickering from the black side of the fan, flowed over it: corruption, violence, and lust. The pollution caught most easily in the darker streets, but it made its way into the falsely-sparkling teahouses, showing them for what they were.
The shorter girl, the one with sapphire eyes, could not see the dark stain. She gazed in wonder at the iridescent buildings, but as she stood mesmerised, dark shapes crept from the shadowed veil. Before they could reach her, the girl with the fan batted them off, using both the sparkling and black sides of her fan.
As the shadows faded, the girl with the fan tapped it against the other girl's palm. Another fan materialised, sapphire and gold. The girl spread it, and began to dance.
As she danced, the pollution of the Floating World spun around her, and one side of the fan became darkened, the twin of its red-and-gold sister. The girl's dance slowed, and stopped as she stared down at the blackened fan, horrified.
Then, out of a side street, a red-haired boy appeared. A cruciform scar bled freshly on his left cheek. Beside him was a spiky-haired boy with a red headband. The redhead bumped into the blue-eyed girl, and they gazed into each other's eyes. The girl held out the fan to him, and he stared down at it.
With a quick gesture, the boy swiped the blood off his cheek, and spread it on the black side of the fan. Then, taking the sleeve of his magenta gi, he wiped it off, and the fan was once again sparkling and new.
The girl flung her arms around the boy, delight shining in her face, and kissed the bleeding cheek. In an instant, the bleeding stopped, and the cheek was wiped as clean as a new slate. The boy touched it, and joy grew on his features as he realised he was no longer bleeding. He caught the girl around her waist, and spun her around.
The two other children disappeared, the buildings faded to trees, and the street to emerald grass. The Floating World disappeared, and a clean green meadow was in its place. At the end of the meadow sat a small traditional Japanese house.
The girl tightened her grip as the boy swung her, and he lost his balance. They tumbled over in the long grass. Coming to rest, their faces stared into each others', and the girl laid her head on the boy's chest.
For a second, the two figures blurred, and as they cleared, they became larger, turning in a sliver of time from a boy and a girl to a man and a woman. The man sat up, the woman's head still pillowed against his shoulder, and carefully lifted her in his arms.
As he walked down the meadow with her, the shoji of the little house burst open, and three children appeared: a red-haired boy, a black-haired girl, and trailing after the others, another redhead, a girl.
The man knelt, letting the woman get out of his arms, and she, too, knelt. The children flung themselves into their arms, and the whole family held close to each other.
Other people appeared around the family: a black-haired woman with a foxy smile, who held a red-and-gold fan; a spiky-haired man wearing an 'aku'-marked coat; a young man carrying a shinai; a woman with a tea-tray and a green-and-gold fan; a man in a white coat; a woman with a long braid; and so they and many others came, each giving blessings to the family.
---
Kaoru started out of the vision-world as she heard a thud, and a muffled curse, as someone bumped against a shoji that was closed when they didn't expect it to be. "Grrr… damn shoji…" muttered a feminine voice, which Kaoru recognised instantly. It was Megumi, and from the way her voice was low and slightly slurred indicated that she was drunk – obviously she'd had one too many jugs of sake at her latest party.
Oh well… sighed the young woman. She's certain to be invited back… unless she offended one of the guests… Megumi's wit was dazzling when she was sober, and it only got quicker and slyer when she had alcohol in her system.
There was a rattle, and the screen to Kenshin's room opened. Megumi came in, and in the lamplight, Kaoru could see that her cheeks were slightly pink, and her gait was a little unsteady.
"Hello, Kaoru," she smiled down at her 'younger sister'. "I see you're keeping warm there!"
"Megumi!" Kaoru snapped indignantly, rolling out of Kenshin's grip, off the futon.
Megumi grinned at the woman's embarrassment. "Don't worry, I know you're not going to take advantage of him… not that it isn't tempting…" She knelt beside Kaoru, pulling the futon off Kenshin's upper body. "Though he isn't much to look at now, wrapped in all those bandages."
Kaoru snatched the covers back, laying them back over Kenshin with infinite tenderness. As she did, Kenshin moaned, then coughed lightly. The two women froze as he rolled over on to his side, and his eyes flickered open.
"Kaoru…?" he asked, a dull rasp though a dry mouth.
She was there in an instant. "Kenshin… I'm here, Kenshin…"
He blinked, and his eyes focussed for the barest second on her. "…Love…"
Then the eyelids flickered shut again, and with a soft sigh, he relaxed back on the futon. His breathing, which had been laboured and shallow throughout the fever, deepened. Barely daring to believe it, Kaoru reached out and touched his forehead.
Cool again! And I never noticed… But the fever is broken! rejoiced Kaoru. At long last, Kenshin was on the mend. He could begin to fully heal, to recover his strength and fitness.
Megumi giggled. "He wanted you to look at him all along, Kaoru!" she said, her drunkenness at last starting to make her a little silly.
I suppose she has an excuse… it's not every night this happens… Kaoru was too elated at Kenshin's fever breaking to be annoyed at Megumi's inane comment.
"Oh well, good night!" said Megumi, a grin adorning her face. "See you in the morning!" She made her way unsteadily to the screen, and disappeared off down the corridor.
It is a good night, indeed, thought Kaoru, and lay down beside Kenshin, on the edge of the futon. Before she could think any more, the worry that she had been carrying at long last fell from her mind, and she fell into a dreamless sleep beside Kenshin.
Author's Notes: The vision sequence could have been confusing, but I hope that it made sense once you realised who the characters were.
And can anyone see setup for the next chapter here…? You can borrow my Muse for your own purposes if you get it right…
(Battousai: I don't think so… 'your own purposes' sounds potentially embarrassing.
Nix: How so?
Battousai: Well, last time I was 'borrowed' (this is before I was your Muse), I was put in a yaoi fanfic… /shudders/ I'm never going to look at Shinomori in quite the same way ever again…
Nix: /giggles/
Battousai: It was disturbing, alright?)
/still giggling/ …yes… well… You can borrow my Muse to 'inspire' you for fanfiction…
(Battousai: Still potentially embarrassing, but I can cope…)
BTW: 'Yaoi' is guy-guy stuff – fanfic, doujin, manga, anime, etc. – and 'yuri' is girl-girl stuff.
(Battousai: Never mention that evil, evil word near me, ever again!)
Review Replies: Thanks to all my reviewers.
Bradybunch4529 – Yay! Worth the wait! I really don't know how to reply to all the compliments, except: Long live the KxK fluff! …and the AxM fluff, for that matter… I'm glad you caught the inference of the Kaoru and Yahiko moment.
Nanakiyoda – Relax a little… but I bet you were all tensed up for this chapter! At least I resolved it, and didn't do a cliffhanger… /grin/ I was tempted…
Peachie-Chan – Yeah, I realised after I posted that Jinchuu wasn't animated… /sigh/ I was thinking of the bit in Samurai X: Reflections, with Enishi. As for sites with the manga… /begs/ pleeeze give me the address… I've only read up to Volume 6, and Viz is incredibly slow with their translations… As for all good things ending, you've got another three chapters… /glares at Battousai/
(Battousai: /whistles innocently/)
…and most likely more, if he throws me any more plot twists… Ah well… /hands Peachie an Aoshi plushie/
anime-luney – I'm sure I've heard it somewhere… Meh, I've heard it so often from you! Yay for fighting and fluffiness! So much fun to write! More chapters: three at current count. Sequel: NO WAY! I had enough trouble with TRA… Running out of things to say: unlikely…
Jupiter's Light (a.k.a. scythe195) – Never mind about the name… gotta love AutoCorrect, it doesn't let you put in different names /sighs/. Plot points I do not give away, even for a Toaster Of Doom… /hides behind Battousai/
Battousai: /slices aforementioned Toaster Of Doom to minute pieces/
…thanks, Battousai! /hugs Muse/
Battousai: /sighs resignedly, having given up on making Nix not glomp him/
…and that's a lot of 'once again's… Thanks!
Raeyn-chan (for all reviews) – Oooh, someone else who reviews every chapter! Yay! Lots of thanks! Specific chapters: Chapter 11: Getting into the story is the main thing about writing fanfic! I love it! Chapter 16: I'm glad you think it's fitting for Kaoru to kill Shishio… I felt she deserved a dramatic moment, as everyone tends to play down her abilities in fights. As for the side stories… they may yet become a story of their own… Battousai's idea, not mine. Chapter 18: Here's what comes next… enjoy!
froggi3 – Glad to read them! Battle scenes can never be 'too realistic', in my estimation… and Battousai has something to say to you.
Battousai: /mutters/ I'msorryforthreateningyou.
…What was that? I couldn't hear!
Battousai: You heard. Accept the apology. Or else. /hand nearing katana hilt/
…that's as good as you're going to get. And for the KxK moment… Long live meringue!
Crewel – Yay for quick updates! And as for SxM… you'll love the next chapter… /giggles/ You may be able to see it coming…
auburn moonlight – Aaahhh! The evilness of the McDonald's song! /borrows Battousai's katana, slices up random Ronald McDonald plastic figurine/ Updated soon… as per request! Enjoy!
inuyasha/kenshin gurl – FLUFF TO THE PEOPLE! …The world needs more fluff, in my opinion… /hands inukengurl a meringue/
Crisa Rei – Fortunately, I have lots of regular reviewers for TRA! Welcome to the club! /grins/ Glad you liked it!
thechickenlittle2000 – Yup… I may be inflicting a little too much pain on our poor redhead, but… well… it's all in the name of fanfic!
(Battousai and Rurouni: /muttering/ Damn fanfic…)
And someone likes the way I did Aoshi! Yay! I tried to keep his attitude as close to what I've seen in the anime/manga, and then add what I think would happen with Misao. It worked! Yay! /does happy dance/
(Battousai, to Rurouni: She may have done ballet, but that 'happy dance' is awful!
Rurouni: Unfortunately, this one can only agree, that he can.)
/glares at Muses/ …but anyway… Yes, poor Kaoru. She's had a pretty rough time, and I think that very few of us could do as well. But remember, this is the attitude that makes her Kenshin's 'rock' – his strength – in the anime/manga. Battousai gets to answer the next part.
Battousai: /bows/ Arigato gozaimasu, chickenlittle.
…What, that's all you're going to say?
Rurouni: He's a little overwhelmed. It's very rare for people to address comments to the Muses.
Battousai: /going red/ AM NOT!
Rurouni: /knowing Rurouni smile/
Battousai: /goes into Battoujutsu stance/ You'll take that back…
Rurouni: There is no need to deny the truth, that there is not. /walks off/
Battousai: I hate it when he does that…