Gunshot Roses

Chapter 12:

Epilogue

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Kaoru stepped out of her home, just as the sun began to rise. She watched the light from the sun cover her huge, green backyard and illuminate the dew on the grass. She sat down in a chair on her porch and sighed, happily.

I'm finally home, she thought.

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Seven years had passed since Kaoru's awful days in Arizona. She was now living in her hometown, in Virginia, happily married. He oldest son, Kenji, was just turning six. He had crimson locks, like his father, blue-grey eyes and the most active imagination. Kenji's sister, Kohana, was 4 and adored her older brother. She had long brown hair and brilliant blue eyes.

Kaoru walked into Kohana's room and gently woke her. She ignored her mother for a few moments before waking.

"Honey, Uncle Sano is taking you into town today. Don't you want to get ready?" Kaoru smiled sweetly at her little girl.

Kohana perked up immediately and ran to her closet. "Is Kenji up yet?" she asked her mother.

"No."

Kohana smiled mischievously and ran into her brothers room. Kaoru shook her head and followed her. When Kaoru entered the room, Kohana was jumping on a non-responsive Kenji.

Kaoru pulled Kohana off Kenji. "Go get dressed, honey," she told her. She then turned to Kenji and shook him. "Kenji, you really have to get up today! Uncle Sano is taking you into town!"

"Yeah…… Bph I dphn't wbhnnbh gph," he mumbled into the pillow.

"Kenji! Come on! Up!" Kaoru grabbed him and tried to pull him off the bed. "Sweetheart! They're going to leave with out you!"

"Fine…" he said, not opening his eyes.

"Ok," Kaoru dropped him on the bed, "I give up. If you want to come, be downstairs and dressed in twenty minutes."

"Urphh…." Kenji answered, turning over.

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When Kaoru came downstairs, she found Kenshin cooking. She walked up behind him and hugged his waist.

"I'm supposed to be doing that," she told him.

"If you did this, the kitchen would set fire… again." he laughed. He kissed her cheek and brought the plates to the table. "Are the kids up yet?"

"Kohana is, but Kenji is still sleeping, as usual." She set the table and poured juice in the cups. "Sanosuke is coming today to take them to town."

"Really?" Kenshin responded. "I'll go with them. There's something at the store I have to finish."

Kaoru sat down in a chair and watched Kenshin place food on each plate. "Isn't Aoshi there today?" she asked.

"No, he took the day off the be with Misao." He put the frying pan he was using in the sink and washed is off.

"I wonder what that means…." Kaoru said thoughtfully. "Maybe she's pregnant."

"Wouldn't surprise me," he answered. "They've been married for 5 years. And now would be a good time for him. Our hardware shop is doing well, and I'm sure he's saved up."

"Wish we had done that…" Kaoru mumbled. "Well, we're living comfortably and that's all I can ask for." She played with a fork that was on the table. Kenshin sat down next to her. "Speaking of marriage, what's going on with Sano and Megumi?"

"Nothing, for the time being." Kenshin took his wife's hand and kissed it. "You would think that after 3 years of engagement, they would have gotten hitched by now. I think he's still getting in bar fights and every time he does, it pushes the wedding date back. He's gotta learn to quit being so wild."

"I know they love each other, but Megumi is just trying to wait until he grows up and realizes how important a family is." Kaoru sighed. "I just wish they'd get married before Megumi has her baby. All the town can talk about is how he knocked her up and now won't marry her."

"How many months is she?" Kenshin asked.

"Four… and she says she's in no hurry to marry a man that still thinks his a bachelor." Kaoru laughed. "You should talk to him."

"Like I haven't tried that?" Kenshin shook his head as Kohana came into the room.

"Mommy, Kenji won't get up!" she whined.

"It's ok, honey. Eat your breakfast and I'll wake him," Kenshin said as he got up to wake up his son.

As he went to the stairs, he saw Kenji coming down, dressed messily. "I'm up," he said to Kenshin as he went to the breakfast table.

Kenshin stopped him and said, "Tuck in your shirt and fix your hair before going to the table. It's impolite, we've talked about this."

"Ok…" Kenshin tucked in his shirt and fixed his hair into a ponytail, like his father. "Is that good?"

"Yes," Kenshin smiled and let him go to the table. Just as he went to the table, a knock came at the door. Kenshin opened it to find Sano standing there with a odd grin at his face.

"You think I could get some breakfast before we leave? Megumi kicked me out." Sano asked, pathetically.

Kaoru called from the other room, "What did you do this time?"

"Nothing!" he answered, putting his hands up. "No fights, no stealing, no being drunk… nothing!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes and started to set another place at the table. Sanosuke came and sat at the table. Kaoru sighed, "So what happened?"

"I asked her when she wanted to get married…" he answered, while stuffing her face with a roll. "I've been good for 3 months, and she said that if I did that, she'd consider getting married in the next 6 months. So, I asked her and she thought I was being sarcastic, so she threw me out."

"Oh, Sano, I'm proud of you!" Kaoru said, clapping her hands together. "Megumi has to let me help her with the wedding!"

Sano starred at his plate, "I don't think so…" Kaoru gave him a confused look and he continued. "I think she's scared, and doesn't want to get married. She's not the marrying type."

Kaoru just laughed and served Sano some breakfast.

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Later, after Sano left with Kohana, Kenji and Kenshin, Misao came by to visit Kaoru. Misao was sitting in the kitchen and Kaoru was pouring her tea when she suddenly spoke.

"I'm pregnant," Misao said, nonchalantly. She put a hand on the bump of her belly. "I bet you knew, though."

Kaoru smiled softly, "Yes, I figured it out. I'm so happy for you!" She hugged Misao. "How's Aoshi dealing?"

"Fine… He's overjoyed and overprotective. I guess that's expected, though." Misao laughed and drank her tea. She made a disgusted face and put the tea down.

Kaoru smiled happily and sipped her tea. Her face screwed up, as well, and she put the tea down.

"Let me just clear away this… 'tea'" she laughed.

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Kaoru sat on the porch again that night, after her children had gone to bed. She sipped a cup of tea that Kenshin had made and curled up in a chair. She looked at the stars and planets overhead and watched the clouds make the moon disappear and reappear.

Kenshin came outside with a cup of tea for himself. He sat next to Kaoru and kissed her cheek.

"Are you happy, love?" he asked.

"How could I not be?" she smiled sweetly when she answered. She looked back up at the sky and saw a shooting star. "I have two beautiful children, a wonderful home in the place where I grew up, friends who love and care for us and, of course, a handsome husband."

"That's all I am? Just a handsome husband? I feel like a trophy husband…" he frowned sarcastically.

"Get used to it, love," she laughed, while sipping her tea.

Kenshin sighed and looked at the universe above their heads. "I'm glad that after all these years, we still have our humor."

"All these years?" Kaoru laughed. "We've only been married for 7 years! That's nothing."

"Really? It feels like we've been married forever," he joked. Kaoru laughed and stood. She sat on Kenshin's lap and he wrapped his arms around her. "Then again, forever's never long enough."

Kaoru laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder, "You're sweet. I like you."

"Well, I like you too," he answered. "We should get married."

"I don't think I like you that much," she said as she began to laugh hysterically.

"I can fix that," Kenshin told her. He kissed her lips but she pulled back after a minute.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and laughed, "You're so conceited. You always think one kiss can fix everything."

"Hasn't it always, though?" he grinned down at her. She laughed and shook her head.

"You've kept you're promise though."

"Which was that?"

"That you'd never leave me," she sighed.

Kenshin lifted her chin and kissed her once more. "That is one promise that will never be broken. From now to eternity. You'll never have to worry. I'll never leave you and I'll always protect you. Whether it's Kanryuu, some drunk in a bar or if you get caught for breaking the law. I'll be right there, punching out the guy or sitting next to you in the jail cell. You can be sure of that. I'll be there always."

"Always."

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Naked flame, She stands with a naked flame, I stand with the sons of Cain, Burned by the fire of love

Burned by the fire of love

-In God's Country, U2

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In every story or fairy tale, there is a happy ending. In every happy ending, what happens to the bad guy, or the villain, is told. Usually, they get a punishment that suit's the crime they committed. They are locked away, killed, poisoned, hung, left to die, turn to stone, turned into a disgusting creature, or exiled.

None of these punishments, however, were a suitable retribution for what Kanryuu Takeda had done.

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"Wake up, bastards!" a cop called as he ran a stick down the bars of the dark, disgusting, filthy, cells that held America's slimiest criminals.

Kanryuu woke, and the smell of human feces greeted him. His large, tattooed, ugly cellmate smiled at him with a sick smile. Kanryuu looked up at the ceiling, as a guard passed by, and said, "God, why me!"

The guard began to laugh, "Because you're a sick son of a bitch, bastard, so stop bothering God. He can't help you where you are." The guard opened the gate and let Kanryuu's cellmate out, but when Kanryuu tried to leave, the guard stopped him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"T-t-to breakf-f-fast," Kanryuu stuttered.

"Nope," the guard smiled, "I don't think so. You see, one of my best friends told me about you. He told me all that you did. Usually I know what people in this place have done, but I took your case personally, for my friend."

"And w-who is y-y-y-our fr-r-r-ried?"

"Soujirou Kamiya." The guard grinned wickedly and shoved Kanryuu back in the cell. "And we're just gonna see how long the human body can live without food or 'proper' water"

"W-w-what do y-y-ou mean pr-pr-proper wat-t-ter?" Kanryuu was afraid to ask.

"Well, there's always the lovely toilet across the room that's filled with so-called 'water'" The guard laughed again and walked away.

"Sh-sh-sh-shit."

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A week later, the temperature had dropped as the seasons changed. All the other inmates we're given cloth blankets, except for Kanryuu. The guard had made sure he had no blanket, or food. No other guards cared, because they knew the sick and twisted things Kanryuu had done.

Kanryuu had drank from the "bowl of water" across the room, much to his cellmates disgust. Now he lied on the bed, freezing, starving, and unclean.

A guard came to his cell and shouted, "Hey, skinny bastard, come with me!"

Kanryuu followed the guard, weakly, to a poorly lit room. A large man with a funny looking mustache was staring at him from behind a table. Kanryuu wasn't given a chair, but was expected to stand.

"So, you're the 'Dealer of Death'?" the man asked him.

"Not anymore," Kanryuu pleaded, "I'm nothing more then a shell of a man. Please, I'm starving and cold, please let me go…"

The man got up out of his chair and walked around the table. He smiled at Kanryuu and then punch him in the jaw. "You coward, shut up. Now we want to know all the details of everything you sold to everyone. Start from the beginning and don't stop till your done!"

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An hour and an half later, the guards shoved Kanryuu back into his cell, even more disgusted with him then ever. He had new welts on his back, from being whipped by one officer when he didn't talk, and other various wounds.

He laid down on his bed and closed his eyes, only to be disturbed by his cellmate. Butch.

Butch gave him a sick smile, "Yur purty…" Butch grabbed his hair and dragged him to the other side of the room. "Why dunt you 'spend thur night wit me'?" Butch began to laugh sadistically.

Kanryuu became sick to his stomach and cried out in his head, Kenshin Himura! I'll get you for ruining my life! You took my fortune, my house and my wife! You and you're family shal pay! As long as I'm alive, you should not sleep easy! I'll kill you, you SON OF A BITCH!

Fin

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Authors Notes:

I'm back and that was what I had to show for it. Pretty crappy, huh? Sorry It took so long. Rough times round here.

But now that I'm back, I've realized that most of my old buddies are gone…. Chiki-dono is still hanging around, under a different name, but other then her…. It's a sad realization that I've had… I pretty much gotta start over with everything… work as hard as I used to, and never stop writing.

Life sucks when you don't write………. Or draw……… or watch anime…….. But I guess what I was doing was trying to figure out who I was, as cheesy as that sounds. But I had a hard time balancing out the things I like other the anime, like rock, punk, guitar, history, rock, hot topic, rock… you know, normal things. And I think I had a hard time with the fact that everyone only saw me as the "anime freak chick." I guess I wanted to be the "Punk chick" more the the "anime chick" so I dropped anime.

Now I've figured out the balance… And life is good.

Now that I've just droned on about my life (I guess I feel bad for leaving and dropping everything so suddenly) What did you think about the fiction! Good ending? Sweet romantic thing going on? Liked how I left room for a….

Duh

Duh

Dunn!

SEQUEL!

Haha, so tell me all your likes and dislikes about the fiction! And check out my new website when it becomes functional!

Ciao! And Rock On!