Epilogue
A light breeze blew, as a tall, dark-haired man dozed on the porch of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu Dojo. It had been almost a full month since the end of Yukishiro Enishi's Jinchuu, and the wounds gained in the battles were just beginning to heal. As it was, even Hiko still had bandages wrapped firmly around his torso, and his right arm in a sling. And yet, his sword was balanced on his left shoulder, all the same. He roused up when he heard a shoji open close by, and looked to his left to see Tsubame poke her head out to check on him.
"I'm all right, kid." Hiko muttered, mildly irritated by the shy girl's constant concerned glances out the door at him.
"Hai..." Tsubame replied, then added, "But I was wondering...if you wanted some tea. I'm about to brew some."
"As long as you do a better job than the Tanuki." Hiko said, smirking slightly when the young girl's features brightened, and he could almost hear Kaoru sneeze in response to his remark.
"Hai!" Tsubame almost cheerfully said; glad that she was finally able to do something to help. When she was again all the way inside, Hiko gazed quietly at the dojo's yard, and took in the damages that still needed to be repaired. One building was in the process of being rebuilt, as well as some parts of the fence that had been crushed by the fighting.
"Yo! Hiko!" a voice called, from his right hand side, before the voice's owner blazed into sight.
"A bit of a surprise to see you here, Kouga." Hiko said, as two other people joined the first; panting in exhaustion when they'd finally reached him.
"Yeah, that damned Ishin put a bounty on us, all because we roughed him up a bit." Kouga replied; earning himself a skeptical glance from the Thirteenth master for that.
"In other words, you put him in a 'body-cast', correct?" Hiko asked, with some amusement in his dark eyes. Kouga grinned, and nodded.
"Damn straight. As I'd said before, you never mess with a wolf's pack. 'Sides, I had to find some way to keep my promises." Kouga stated.
"True enough. There should be a ship leaving tonight that will be heading to either America or Europe. You might want to leave by that way." Hiko advised.
"Yeah. By the way, where is everybody? I could only catch the scent of those two kids and you here, when I approached." Kouga said, a bit concernedly.
"As far as I know, Kamiya and the Baka Deshi have gone to the market, and Sagara is avoiding the Kitsune-onna...for reasons I can very easily understand." Hiko muttered, as Kouga snickered at his expense.
"That bad, huh?" Kouga questioned.
"Worse." Hiko grumbled, hiding a wince when he shifted his right arm slightly.
"Well, at least you're still alive, milord." Hakkaku said, quietly.
"True. This vendetta didn't kill me...even though it did, at some points, come very close." Hiko murmured, thoughtfully.
"Well, try not to get involved in any more, okay? As it was, I had a very hard time convincing Shippou that I had seen you alive and...almost well...in Shinshu." Kouga said, seriously.
"I didn't try to get involved in this one...But fate seems to have a perverse way of telling me that some connections just can't be severed." Hiko muttered, as the three before him nodded.
"I know what you mean. Well, gotta run! See ya in a century or two, old friend!" Kouga said, before he sped off again.
"Get well soon, Hiko-sama." Ginta and Hakkaku both said, before they bowed, and then rushed off behind their leader.
"A century or two...We'll just have to wait and see." Hiko mused; looking up when Tsubame returned with the tea, with Yahiko limping by her side.
"Who were you talking to just now, Hiko-sensei? We heard three more voices out here, and their ki felt strange." Yahiko said, curiously, as he sat down about three feet away from the elder Hiten master.
"Just some old allies." Hiko replied; his response very similar to the one he'd given Sanosuke that night in Shinshu, before they'd returned to Tokyo.
"They felt very strong." Yahiko murmured, as Tsubame poured the tea into some cups, and handed him one, and Hiko another.
"They are among some of the strongest I have seen, since they are still alive even in this era...and they are wise enough not to use their strength for petty reasons." Hiko murmured, perking slightly when he sensed Kenshin and Kaoru return, and allowing a sour expression to appear when he sensed Megumi as well.
"We're back!" Kaoru called, as they came into view.
"So I've noticed...and unfortunately, you have the woman from hell with you." Hiko grumbled, irritably.
"Better watch it, of I won't continue to treat your wounds." Megumi warned.
"And I should be concerned for what reason? At least then I'd be able to get some sake and enjoy it." Hiko retorted, his scowl not fading in the slightest, even when Megumi approached him.
"Shishou...Megumi-dono..." Kenshin said, trying to break up the argument before it could get any worse. Yet both men were surprised when Kaoru got in between Hiko and Megumi, and broke up their newest staring contest.
"Megumi-san, you need to lighten up! It's not like you need to worry about Hiko-san getting drunk! He's just not the type who would let alcohol get to him like that!" Kaoru said; speaking in the elder Hiten master's defense, for once. For a moment, it looked as though the two women were about to start arguing between themselves; then Megumi backed off.
"Fine then! I can see that I am not going to win this argument. Just be sure to take it easy." Megumi muttered, impatiently; directing the latter part of her comment at the Thirteenth master. Hiko said nothing, but Kenshin could sense the gratitude coming from him that was directed at Kaoru for speaking up.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)
The next day, the inhabitants of the dojo awoke to find the Thirteenth master missing. For a few, panicked moments, the thought had been that he'd either left for Kyoto by himself, or that someone else had come to fight, and he'd gone to settle it on his own. Yet, it was Kaoru who had managed to calm everyone down, when she found what appeared to be a note that had somehow been overlooked.
"What does the note say, Jou-chan?" Sanosuke asked, when they had calmed down enough to hear what the note had written on it.
"Basically that he should be back by sundown, and that he's gone to visit someone's grave." Kaoru replied, quietly. It didn't take someone who was sensitive enough to sense ken-ki to know that confusion was now the dominant feeling in the group.
"Did he know anybody in Tokyo, Kenshin?" Yahiko questioned; wide awake, thanks to the jolt they had received when they'd found Hiko's futon empty.
"Not to sessha's knowledge, Yahiko...And yet, there must have been someone, since he went to visit a grave the day the Jinchuu began, as well." Kenshin murmured.
"How could you tell? And which direction did he come from, that day?" Megumi asked, gently.
"The grave must be on the opposite side of the city, since he left here the morning Yahiko learned Kamiya Kasshin Ryu's ougi, and returned that evening...And..." Kenshin mused, trailing off when another thought occurred to him.
"And what?" Kaoru questioned.
"He seemed sad, Kaoru-dono...as though a great weight, even greater than the mantle, was on his shoulders that night...A weight sessha knows from experience can be unbearable." Kenshin said, as he remembered what he'd briefly felt from the older man, that night.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)
Hiko allowed himself a slight sigh, as he approached the limestone cave. Once again, he was in a place he'd thought he'd never visit again.
"Maybe now his soul can rest in peace, since this mess has finally been dealt with." Hiko thought, as he gazed somberly at the final resting place of his master.
"Well I'll be damned...Kouga was right. You're still alive, old friend." a voice said, cutting into Hiko's dark musings, and making him look up. There, standing just in front of the entrance to the cave, stood a young-looking, silver-haired man. At his side, another young man stood; green eyes almost filled to the brim with relieved tears.
"You were fooled by the Karakuri as well? With your nose?" Hiko asked, seeming surprised by this.
"The bastard had splashed some sort of perfume all over one of the bodies, so it drowned out any other scents I may have picked up...Kami-sama, they had looked so real, though." the silver-haired man murmured; shuddering at the memory of the two realistic-looking bodies, and the sight of Winter Moon thrust through one of them.
"Be that as it may, you were still late." Hiko grumbled, and got a deadpan look from the man as a response.
"How the hell did you expect us to get there in time, when you didn't provide any directions to the damn dojo?" the man growled. For a moment, Hiko paused, then sighed and cursed himself. He'd done the exact same thing to the two before him, as Kenshin had done to him just three months prior!
"His idiocy is rubbing off on me!" Hiko inwardly shouted; berating himself for the lapse.
"Feh, come on, then. The Akabeko should be open by now, so I'll pay for a meal." Hiko muttered; quite aware when the younger man, Shippou, beamed at him.
"All right! Beef hot-pot! Lead the way!" Shippou shouted, eagerly.
"Hope you have enough funds for one more." a calm voice added, as he strode into view.
"I don't have much of a choice." Hiko replied, yet smirked at the three. Even though he was still too stubborn to really admit it, it felt good to be in the presence of old friends again.
"From the looks of things, the battle was quite rough on you." the newcomer stated, as they walked back into town. He could see that Hiko still had his right arm in a sling, walked with a painful stiffness, and his white mantle was missing from his shoulders.
"You saw it?" Hiko asked. The newcomer nodded.
"From a distance. Watojutsu...a sword style I had hoped I would never see again." the newcomer said, as a shudder traveled down his spine at the memory of it.
"On that, we can agree. If you ever go back to the Continent be sure to track that book down, and burn it, along with the original scrolls. Having to face it twice in one lifetime is bad enough." Hiko growled.
"Consider it done, old friend. I don't think either of us would be able to rest easy, if it isn't. In fact, I should have gone and destroyed the original scrolls long ago." the newcomer agreed, as they walked through the streets of Tokyo without even sparing anyone a second glance.
"But what about the guy using it? Has he hurt anyone else?" Shippou asked, concernedly.
"From what Saito had been willing to tell, Yukishiro Enishi couldn't harm a fly, now. But I'm not exactly inclined to believe it." Hiko mumbled.
"For your sake, we can only hope that that's the case...and that his desire for vengeance has been appeased." the silver-haired man murmured, as they entered the restaurant, and sat down.
"You'll have no difficulty getting an agreement to that." Hiko said, looking up when a waitress approached them, and placing the order for their meal.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)
Yet a few more days passed quietly, before those within Kamiya Dojo had another surprise happen. It was early in the morning, when someone arrived through the main gate. Hiko, as was becoming the norm, was sitting on the porch; enjoying the quiet before the day's training sessions began, when a soft voice greeted him.
"Nihao..."
Abruptly, Hiko looked up; eyes narrowing when he saw who it was.
"Come to finish what you'd started, Yukishiro?" Hiko asked, his voice a low growl as he stood; removing his right arm from the sling, and preparing himself for another fight. Almost immediately, the entire dojo sprang to life. The first ones to arrive at his side were Kenshin and Yahiko, then Sanosuke and Kaoru appeared; alarmed by the sight that greeted them. There stood Yukishiro Enishi...and yet, there wasn't any anger, hatred or insanity to be seen in his cobalt eyes. Instead, there was a weary sadness that permeated his entire being, as well as a sense of shame. At Hiko's tone, the young man actually flinched.
"No...I didn't come here to do that..." Enishi whispered; jumping slightly when an older man appeared at his side, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Say it, Enishi. Don't prolong this any further." the old man said, his tone stern, yet gentle at the same time. With a slight nod, the young man then did something that surprised all who were standing there; he got down on his hands and knees, and pressed his forehead into the dirt.
"I owe you all...profound apologies...for what I have done..." Enishi said, brokenly.
"For what my son had done to you all, I also apologize. Had I known sooner that he was back in Japan, then maybe I could have stopped him..." the old man stated, as he also bowed low before the group.
"You're the old man that stayed close by in the Fallen Village, aren't you?" Kenshin asked, breaking his uneasy silence to speak to the man. The old man nodded.
"Hai. Yukishiro Takao is the name, father of Yukishiro Tomoe and Enishi." the old man replied, his words sending a jolt through the group that had not been expected.
"So, you're the father of that fool?" Hiko questioned, with an arched eyebrow being the only thing that proved he was as surprised as the rest. Again, the old man nodded.
"Yes, indeed." Takao replied, almost cheerfully.
"Then I can only relate." Hiko muttered, as he gave Kenshin a deadpan look; an expression that only made the old man chuckle and shake his head.
"I can see that my daughter's father-in-law is a fine and patient man himself...and also a kind one. No one else had stood at my son-in-law's side at Tomoe's grave like you did." Takao stated, earning himself an embarrassed 'Feh' from Hiko for that.
"You were there as well, sir?" Kaoru asked, quietly.
"Hai." Takao confirmed.
"What will you two do now?" Kenshin heard himself ask. This got a simple shrug from the old man, as Enishi got up from his prone position on the ground, yet did not look at anyone.
"Oh, probably wander around for a while. Who knows? We might even meet again, under more friendly terms, someday." Takao replied, his eyes sparkling with mirth when Hiko's deadpan expression returned; proving that he didn't quite like the thought of that happening any time soon. As they turned to leave, Megumi finally spoke up.
"Wait. Let me have a look at your son's ear, first, and tend to any other injuries he might have. I would not be able to sleep tonight, if I don't." Megumi muttered, as she motioned to the younger man to have a seat on the porch. Obediently, Enishi did as he was bidden, sat down, and allowed Megumi to take a good close look for any wounds. With uneasy silence hanging over them, Kenshin and the rest watched; seemingly surprised by how cooperative and quiet Enishi was being.
"Could it be possible that finding some remaining family had mellowed him this much?" Kenshin wondered, still seeming mystified by this abrupt a change in the former madman's demeanor.
"Who can say?" Hiko replied, as they watched Megumi stand, and then go back into the dojo for her medicine cabinet.
"That night...when you protected Kamiya Kaoru...from me...Seijuro-san...You were just like a father...protecting his daughter...Why is that?" Enishi asked, his soft voice almost lost even amidst the seeming silence of the dojo, and the streets beyond. For a moment, Kenshin could sense his master's sorrow return to the forefront, before it was forced back again.
"Long ago, I had a daughter who went by the name Kaoru...In many ways, Kamiya reminds me of her." Hiko finally admitted, much to the surprise of Kenshin and the rest.
"What happened to her, Hiko-san?" Kaoru also asked. This got an enigmatic smile from the elder Hiten master; a smile that was tinged with some sadness and regret.
"Time caught up with her." Hiko replied, before he walked back into the dojo.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu...Is it truly a fountain of youth? And, if it is, is it a cursed one?" Kaoru wondered, as the shoji closed behind the Thirteenth master, and as Kenshin reached over and grasped her hand firmly in his own. What they didn't realize was that, not so far away, in Shimabara, even more trouble was brewing...
Owari
Or is it?
Author's Note!
Can't believe that this is it! The final chapter to this story! But stay tuned! I'll probably start on the 'Shimabara' storyline soon! Hope this story has been an enjoyable read, and thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Gemini14