"speech"
'thoughts'
THE ONLY ONES LEFT
Epilogue
"Alright guys, move it! Double time!"
The shouts of Sanosuke Sagara can be heard around the house, sending out instructions to everyone present. The whole household has been so tense and busy the past few days, surreptitiously preparing for the upcoming birthday of their "princess", which is happening today.
"Excuse me, uhm.. Sumimasen.." The stuttering of a petite lady could be heard as she passed through the people carrying trays, tables and all kinds of stuff around the garden.
"Excuse me, sir.." She said when she finally reached the area where her master was standing impatiently.
Sanosuke just glanced at her and said with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "What is it Karin? You know everyone's busy today.."
Karin bowed her head and said, "Yes, sir but.."
"What is it Karin?" Megumi said, ambling calmly towards them. "You look so panicked," she said, stopping and observing her for a while.
"Yes ma'am, you see," she started, fidgeting a bit, "Akane-chan is awake already."
Sanosuke now has his full attention at her and shouted (again), "What?"
"Where is she then, Karin?" Megumi asked.
"She's now taking a bath, madame.." Karin, who is now nervous, seeing that the preparations haven't been finished yet, said.
Sano continued shouting instructions throughout the garden. Now he's approaching everybody and helping them instead of just telling them what to do to finish everything at once. He kept saying "the princess is awake already, you slowpokes!"
Megumi sweatdropped at her husband's behavior and turned worriedly to their daughter's personal maid. "Alright, Karin, I want you to keep her busy.. Just find a way, okay? Fix her up and make it slow, tell her she should really look pretty today and stuff, okay?"
Karin nodded and said with determination, "I'll do my best, ma'am!" She smiled and marched her way through the now panicking crowd, gracefully dodging the chairs that a few men are carrying in their shoulders.
Megumi sweatdropped again, now at Karin. 'Since when did she learn such strategic defense? Hmm..' She went to where Sano was and shouted, too. At her signal, everyone stopped what they're doing to listen. When the mother of the household speaks, everyone just have to listen. It means it's important because she rarely does that. Not that they don't listen to Sano, it's just that they've gotten used to it already after hearing them continuously.
"Alright guys, let's get to work. Quickly but surely." She said, smiling at all of them.
Karin has been working for the Sagara family for six years now. She finally managed to get out of the hell where she previously worked at. She was glad that she decided to go straight to the doctor who tried to cure Akane, who she took care of before Akane-chan. She felt gladder when she was told that she would take care of a girl whose name was taken from none other than Akane herself in memory of the girl and the life she has been deprived of.
Karin's thoughts were broken when a child of seven years with shoulder-length black hair came out of the shower, with a bathrobe around her cute frame, looking like a little lady. She was wiping her hair with a towel as she asked, "Auntie, where's mama and papa?"
"They've gone out for a while, dear. They said they wanted you to fix yourself so that when they go home, you'll look really pretty," Karin said.
"Okay, I wonder where they went. They didn't forget that it's my birthday, did they auntie?" she asked Karin as she walked to her closet.
"I don't think so, Akane-chan." She said, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
"Okay, I hope so.." Akane said as she pulled her favorite pink dress from her closet. "You think this is enough, auntie?"
"U-uh," Karin said, shaking her head emphatically. "Don't you think that's a little bit overused, Akane-chan?" She walked toward the little kid and knelt in front of her. "You see, you use that when you go to church, to the park, to the Akabeko, and well, almost everywhere."
Akane scratched her head, a really stupid mannerism she got from her father, and said, "Really? I didn't notice that.. Haha.. It's my favorite, after all.. And that's exactly why I wanna wear it today."
"No, Akane-chan, why don't you use that cute gown your mama bought for you the other day?" Karin said, getting it from the closet. "This."
"That? Okay then, auntie. I really think that's cute and newer, too.. Haha.." Akane-chan said.
Karin smiled at her and said, "Alright then, let's get to work!"
Meanwhile outside, everyone was busy adding the finishing touches of their preparations. Kenshin and the others have also arrived.
"So Megumi-dono, where's Akane-chan? Kenji here wants to see her already, that he does." He said, holding the hands of his own son, with Kaoru beside him.
His wife, ecstatic as always, was looking around and saying, "You really prepared for this so much, ne Megumi? " She asked, finally stopping her gaze at Megumi.
"Hai. It's her seventh birthday after all. You know how it's gotta be special and all.. She's already awake, actually. I told Karin to keep her busy first.. She woke up pretty early, you see."
She saw Karin squeeze her face through the window with a questioning look in her face. Megumi smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up sign. Karin sighed first and slumped her tensed shoulders. She gave Megumi a smile before she turned back to bring the kid she's been looking for since she left her previous, incorrigible master.
Karin was covering Akane-chan's eyes when they got out. Everybody was holding his/her breath as they watched their little princess emerge from the front door of their house. Karin slowly lifted her hands from the eyes of the excited girl.
Akane's eyes lit up immediately when she saw the sight that beholds her. She opened her mouth to speak but no words seem to come out from it. She took in the sight as a smile formed in her lips. Their garden was turned into an enchanted one, with flowers of different kinds and colors scattered all around and people wearing fairy costumes and other enthralling stuff. To think that she even thought of them forgetting that it's her birthday today!
Cat seems to have caught all the other people's tongues, too. They looked at the cherubic child in her pink floral gown. Her hair was pulled up in both sides and she had on some body glitters that made her twinkle. She looked like she was taken directly from a fairy tale and transported into our world.
It was Kenji who distracted the people from their trances. The eight-year old boy screamed a really enthusiastic "Happy Birthday Akane!" as he ran towards her, embracing her like a big brother would. Everyone laughed as they realized what has just transpired. They snickered at the sheepish way Kenji presented his gift to her with matching "You look.. uhm.. pretty.."
Sano elbowed Kenshin and grinned at him, saying, and "I see that your son grew into a ladies man, Kenshin. Ha! Like father like son, I must say. Haha!" Kenshin just looked at him then to Megumi and retorted, "No Sano, we all owe it to the good looks that your daughter has inherited from her mother, that we do." Megumi just flipped her hair at the compliment and laughed her trademark fox ho-ho's. You can just imagine fox ears forming in her head. Kaoru chortled with her with no hint of jealousy that they felt toward each other back then. It seems better now when they have finally realized that they are where they belong.
Akane-chan thanked Kenji as they walked together to the center of the garden where their parents were waiting for them.
