Epilogue: To be continued…
Spring, 21st year of the Meiji era
By Meii-chan
If you give Soujiro a new beginning,
You'll wonder how he'll be.
For ten years, you have no idea.
But then, he'll come to visit.
He'll stand at the doorway, smiling at your son,
Awaiting your permission to enter.
Of course, being the kind and forgiving person you are, you acquiesce.
He'll want to tell you about his journey,
And about how thankful he is.
And finally, he'll tell you what he learned.
He'll remember wandering aimlessly in the past
Being lost, and then finding his way.
He'll remember the friendship that as swiftly slain
The fury that drove sin.
He'll remember awakening to the truth
The guilt of retribution.
He'll remember that hope of friendship remains,
That there is kindness left in the world.
He'll remember the wish to live,
And He'll smile.
He'll say: "If life was ever written as a story,
At the end of each chapter there should be the words:
"To be continued."
Author's notes: Okay, maybe this ending was a little selfish wishing from Soujiro. But seeing how Kenshin is the altruistic one (with the entire speech to Enishi about wielding the sword to make others happy…) I guess it's only natural that Soujiro would end up more attached to life than Kenshin was. I mean, Soujiro's entire motivation for surviving up into and through the Kyoto arc was the will to live. But I guess his will to live now isn't because he's avoiding death, but rather embracing life.
So thanks for reading! Thus, this fanfic becomes the first multi-chapter one I've completed. Woah…Now let's see if I can apply that to some of the other ones collecting dust on the shelf…but then, I'll probably spend all of tomorrow reading the new Harry Potter book. (Ah, yes, all the more reason to procrastinate!)
Oh yeah, thank you all for reviewing!
Another Baka: Okay, how about this? (Big grin) "The strong live; the weak die." (Prances around swinging a sword) I said something, didn't I? (But yes, thank you for reading, I appreciate it a lot.)
Mikifiona: But I don't. It's like a vague essay question that people see different things in, even if the essay question writers have no idea how they would write the essay themselves.
Anonymous Freak: I can't. Maybe it's because I read more Shounen manga than Shoujo manga…but then, any romance I write ends up cheesy…
Nice Witch: "Bold"…? Hmm…never realized it.
Genki Ninjagirl: Yup yup! But doesn't Soujiro belong to Watsuki-san?
And all the other people who read this, a big thanks to all of you (You know who you are)!