9 Bamboo

They are mistaken to be weak and soulless; lifeless shells. But then the storm hits; howling winds, battering rain and they do not break. Strong in the midst of chaos, it stands proudly taking the beating but never giving in.

(Kal-El)

They're digging her grave.

It's so profane – this disturbance of the dead – is she dead? I glance over at Lex and then Lois – who Lex wasn't all too please to see I had summoned – watch as their faces are drawn in strained concentration. I have to hide my smile when I see their similar expressions. It's a strangely exhilarating experience – this feeling of finally being able to smile and not feeling sad about it.

The dirt is hauled off of the coffin in big chunks and closer we are to the body – it should be decayed now; just some rotten meat and bones and that wide skeletal smiles with hollow eyes so hollow that you just don't know what to do with yourself when you see it –

Soil is brushed away finally and the coffin is exposed. The smile that had been recently planted on my lips falls away and the air from my lungs is gone in one sudden swipe. For a moment those on the job pause then with a small prayer – the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Amen – they take hold of the casket lid and pull it to the side.

I choke. Lois lets out a gurgled sound and pushes her face into my chest. My shirt becomes damp with her tears and her shudders run through my body. I glance at Lex, whose jaw muscles are clenching and unclenching, has a strange look upon his face.

The body in the casket – with blonde hair, a pert nose, full lips and a defined figure – is fully intact. I'm dazed – how can that be? Where is my friend then? The message on the opening page of my friend's journal is true. Chloe is alive somewhere and she's been waiting to be saved for over half a year. The urge to just jump up and fly down the continent to the little island that she was in is great, but I can't let Lois know…

Her voice breaks through the heavy air – the sound of cement cracking. "How – how is that possible?" She shakes her head and looks at me with wide disbelieving watery eyes. "But you told me – all of this was a lie? All this pain – I –" The sound is like an ice pick that is slowly digging into my chest. It feels like I'm bleeding inside.

I swallow the invisible rock in my throat. "I didn't know, either…"

Her gaze becomes hard and then she swivels her head towards Lex who glances blankly back at us. "You…" she accuses in a menacing tone. "You were stringing us along the whole time. You knew –"

"I was completely oblivious until just shortly before I told – Clark," he counters, his voice rich with intensity.

"If he was stringing us along, don't you think – Chloe –" It's still difficult to get her name out despite this new discovery "– would have appeared by now?"

She is seething – her eyes, however, are embers of a dying fire. I'm sure she knows her claim is baseless and she wishes she was right. I give her shoulder a light squeeze of reassurance… but my eyes are now focused on Lex.

His demeanour has been so controlled – so blank. I would have expected more of a reaction from him. But there is none and I know for a fact that he is holding back. And for that moment, I admire him. Despite his bad business dealings, his vengeful nature of late, he holds strong at a time of great stress.

He is like the bamboo… seemingly hollow, but in truth…

I find his eyes upon me and I give him a grateful half-smile. My silent thank you resonates across the air and he seems to understand it. For a moment, his expression relaxes and I think I see the thank you returned. Milliseconds later it is gone and he is once again the businessman with a cruel look that is featured on the newspapers daily. If only the world knew – knew the human beneath the stony mask… damn media.

"So, we find her now," Lois says. "We find my cousin and kill the bastards that made us suffer."

"We can't just jump into this," I warn in a soft voice. "These are powerful people – with lots of money –"

"Baldy over there has money, doesn't he?" she nods her head over to him and I see his expression darken perceptively.

Before I can piece together an answer, he takes the floor. "You think money can solve all of your problems. Despite popular belief, however, it can't. When you're faced with enemies such as the ones that I have, money can't do you much good. It's wit that is boundless, Miss Lane. Perhaps your not knowing expresses your true ignorance, which is a wonder, given your close ties with your cousin, who was always using her intelligence to get out of sticky situations."

Lex draws closer to us and I can feel that Lois is intimidated by him. That is the affect he wants on her and he smiles coldly at her reaction. I am almost tempted to tell him not to, but Lois needs to know the extent of the circumstances. Behind him his men begin to pack the dirt back into the hole. "The fact of the matter is," he continues in a low voice, "Shishio is a strong enemy, Miss Lane. You should know that given that you've been a reporter for almost half a year. He has just as much power as I do and fighting against such a person, who still has a taste for blood and revenge, is not easy. My wit and a couple of allies are all I have to defeat him."

Lois says nothing, merely looking disgruntled as he looks at him. I unconsciously find myself rubbing her arm sympathetically. When she finally chooses to speak it is resigned; tired… a tone I haven't heard since – well it has been a long time… "I want to help… I want my cousin back… I want my friend back."

"As I want my wife and partner back, Miss Lane," Lex murmurs.

Lois looks at him then – really looks at the man before her – and she gives him a teary smile. "I never would have believed that you would love someone as reckless as Chloe… what happened to your fetish with brunettes?"

He snorts at that. "I've had enough experiences with them to last three lifetimes, thank you."

Suddenly I feel as if the knots in my stomach loosen. The grey skies don't mar the light – it merely accents the life it shelters.

Chloe… we're coming to save you…

Misao stared dumbstruck as Kenshin strode across the wooden planks of the open hallway. She was sure he was an illusion – something her mind was cooking up from the six months that she hadn't seen him out of his room. She stumbled forward, following him around the bend and seeing him – physically present one soft step at a time – moving towards the kitchen.

"Ke – Ken-san?" she croaked disbelievingly.

He stopped and stood for a moment at her voice. When he turned to her, his amethyst eyes were soft and slightly bloodshot, but his mouth was turned upwards in a smile. "Misao-dono," he greeted in a hoarse voice.

She didn't realize there were tears until she felt them fall upon her chest – warm and wet and happy. The raven-haired girl was running towards him, hurling herself into his form. He staggered back, still weak from not eating enough and from sitting for so long. "Baka yarou," she whispered. "You had us all worried."

"Gomenasai… sessha didn't mean to inflict such pain upon you."

"Well you did," she snapped against his chest. When he said nothing, she sighed. "But I'm glad you are fine now."

He chuckled and squeezed her lightly. "I might not be if I don't eat. I think I could down an entire horse!"

The younger woman suddenly jumped back, blue eyes wide. "Kami-sama! Come on, Ken-san, I'll get Omasu to cook a great feast for you!" Grabbing his hand she dragged him along, the last word filtering out of his mouth being a frazzled 'oro!'

Remy stood in the yard, staring at the cherry tree with his blue eyes. A winter breeze rushed passed him, soft fingers running through his hair, but he didn't move. When the air stilled, he blinked slowly and breathed. The bamboo knocked against the rock once, releasing the water it had accumulated while the sound resonated across the yard. The young boy – so much within for such a little body – took a small step forward, then another. He got closer and closer to the tree and when he was just a length away from it, he stopped. Once again he took a drawn-out breath and blinked slowly. At the sound of the bamboo against the rock, Remy slowly raised his hand towards the trunk. Seconds lengthened to seem like minutes – hours – days.

Just as he was about to touch the rough exterior, he was brought into awareness. His chest heaved with each breath and his eyes widened. He was almost afraid – afraid that it would be nothing – just a figure created by memory and not actually present – not solid. The bamboo hit the rock once again and the sound ran through his little body. He slowly turned his head; then his entire body back towards the house.

And there he stood. Not in the way that Remy remembered him. The man before him stood like the cherry tree behind him – afraid, tired, hopeful…

As they gazed at one another, the memories came rushing back – happy times with smiles and laughter, so many hugs and kisses and comfortable silences, playful times –

The young boy cried out his name and began running across the yard – towards the hand he had been trying to reach for so long. He saw the older man fall upon his knees, his face uncharacteristically emotional. He flung himself forwards and was caught in the arms of his father.

Solace, they thought in unison.

"I'm sorry, Remy," Lex whispered as he held his son tightly. "I'm so sorry."

The boy said nothing, only pressed himself more firmly into his enveloping body… the hold he needed for so long…

He was happy to finally have it.

When they pulled back from one another, Lex looked at him with bleary eyes. "We're going to find Chloe, Remy. She's – she's alive."

The young child froze. Lex tried to smile, but failed miserably. It was only when his son let out a choked laugh and hugged him again that he knew it was right to have told him then.

From a distance, Kenshin and Aoshi watched, silent as they have always been but relieved that the two had finally found each other. The last piece to their broken lives was still miles away, but they knew what the outcome would be.

The sound of bamboo knocking against the rock final like their resolve.

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A/N: Yehey, another update. Took long enough, huh? ToT very sorry. Anyway, FB would be great... Take care... hopefully there will be more soon. :)