Chapter 6 : The Final Decision.
While waiting for the doctor finished treating Kyoko, Soujiro thought of what had happen at the Morisato residence. ' I was full of fury and all I wanted to do was kill those bastards. But her voice, her sweet little voice stopped me. Just like that. I turned from a cold-blooded killer into a concerned lover in a blink of an eye. It's almost impossible to believe. Maybe this is how Kenshin change. From Hitokiri Battosai into plain Kenshin Himura. Maybe I'm changing too. Because of Kyoko. If before I disrespect Kenshin for the change, now, I want to change willingly. I know I could with Kyoko by my side.' Soujiro smiled. He felt like the happiest man alive.
The doctor came out and said he could go in and visit the patient. Soujiro entered the room. The doctor stood behind him. Kyoko was resting on the clinic bed. Her wound had been treated and bandaged. The doctor said she was out of danger for the time being and advised a lot of rest. Kyoko nodded but she knew she couldn't do that. She had a lot of errands to settle. Soujiro was sitting by the bedside. Although Kyoko nodded to the doctor's instruction, Soujiro knew her mind was thinking the contrary. The doctor went out. Soujiro walked him out and thanked him. After closing the door, Soujiro turned around and saw Kyoko was staring at the ceiling.
" I know what you're thinking, Kyoko….," Soujiro said as he walked to the bed. " You always do, Soujiro…," Kyoko replied with a smile. Soujiro sat at the bedside and held Kyoko's hand in his. Kyoko grasped his hand. " How is this going to end," Kyoko asked Soujiro. " I don't know. It's all up to you. Although I may not agree with your decision, I will support it…," Soujiro replied, tighten his grip. Kyoko smiled and closed her eyes. Soujiro knew she was tired. He accompanied her until she was asleep, not letting go of her hand. After he was sure Kyoko was in deep sleep, he left the clinic and headed towards the house outside town that Kyoko told him before.
Kyoko opened her eyes. She was aware that Soujiro accompanied her until he was sure she was sleeping. Well, she was pretending to sleep. She got up from the bed. ' Soujiro is a very kind man and I love him very much. That's why I can't let him suffer with me..'. She dressed up properly and leaved the clinic. Her sword hung faithfully behind her back. Kyoko knew what she had to do to end this.
Soujiro reached the house. He opened the door and saw Kazuma was sitting at the living room, Yamato was asllep by his side. Kazuma lifted his head. " Master Soujiro…," he whispered, not wanting to wake the boy. " I'm here to check on you and Yamato..," Soujiro spoke in a low tone. " How's Kyoko-san," Kazuma expressed his concern. " She was involved in a fight with her brothers…" Kazuma gasped. " Luckily, I made it just in time. She's fine now although she suffered a cut…," Soujiro continued. Kazuma let out a sigh of relief. He knew how important Kyoko was to Soujiro and how important they were to each other. He regarded Soujiro as his own son and of course a father always worried about his son.
" What's Kyoko-san next move," Kazuma asked. Soujiro didn't say anything for a while. " I seriously don't know. As much as I know what she's thinking, she's very unpredictable from time to time…," Soujiro sighed. " But that's a quality of her that make charmed you in the first place," Kazuma grinned. Soujiro looked at Kazuma in confusin. Soujiro let out a little laugh. " Yes, your right, Kazuma-san!."
Kyoko walked through the darkness. Although it was dark, she knew exactly where she was going. ' I've already made my mind. I hope everyone can live with what I've decided.' An image of Sojiro floated into Kyoko's mind. " Especially you, Soujiro…," she whispered as she quicken her pace.
Soujiro headed back to the clinic to check on Kyoko. When he opened the door, he saw the bed was empty. ' No, not again, Kyoko!.' Soujiro dashed outside the clinic. He had an idea that he would find Kyoko at the Morisato residence. ' Oh, God! Please let me be there in time…. Please don't make it too late….'
Kyoko entered her house compound calmly. She could see lights at the living room so she assumed her brother were there, probably discussing about their next move on her. She took in a deep breath and let it out. " Let's get this over with….," she muttered to herself. Kyoko started walking towards the living room.
Hibiki, Takeshi and Naoki were discussing with another man. He was a tall, thin and had a fierce face. And he was a skillful swordsman. He was an assassin that the brothers about to hire to eliminate their own sister. They had finished discussing the price and Hibiki had handed the money to the assassin. The assassin was keeping the money in his pocket when he asked, " Is it really necessary to hire me to eliminate a woman? How strong or skillful could she be?."
The brothers looked at each other. " She's quite skillful in swordsmanship but we can easily take her down. The problem is the man who's protecting her. He has an amazing speed and high swordsmanship. We need you to get rid of that man and our sister along the way. The assassin shocked his head. " People these day would do anything for wealth, right?." The assassin statement perplexed the brothers. " So am I…," the assassin whispered.
They heard footsteps and the door opened. Kyoko was standing at the door. The brothers were shocked. They didn't expected Kyoko to come back. At least not for a while. The assassin noticed the brothers expression. " Is this your sister," he asked Naoki. Naoki nodded. His eyes were still fixed on Kyoko. The assassin stood up. Kyoko watched him.
" Who are you," Kyoko asked when he saw a stranger in the room. The stranger bowed to her and answered," I'm an assassin hired by your brothers to eliminate you…". Kyoko didn't seemed alarmed or scared. She remained calm. Kyoko walked inside the room and sat next to the assassin, facing her brothers. " You don't have to hire an assassin. I'm here to give up my right of the will…" Kyoko's statement spooked everybody in the room.