Disclaimer: I disclaim everything.
So this was a relatively quick update. Since summer is so incredibly close, updates should become more and more frequent on all my stories. Yay!
Chapter Eight
A Lesson in Hope
Tokyo, Japan
11th Year of the Meiji
October 21
Aoshi,
I am writing to you from the dojo in Tokyo. I don't know if Kaoru-dono has had any correspondence with you or Misao in the past months, but I am writing now to ask a favor.
There is a friend of ours who is very dear to me. She left our home not three weeks ago. Before now, there was no reason to try and find her, but recent news about the dojo have changed my mind. I hope to find this friend of mine before she loses her home. I have no idea how to reach her as she left on a course unknown to anyone, including herself. However, she is a smart girl and as the days get colder, I know she will be moving south, toward Kyoto. I doubt she is far off from the Tokkaido Pass.
Her name is Naruku and I ask that you and Misao do anything in your power to help us find her before it is too late. I give you my thanks.
Himura Kenshin
"Misao," Aoshi said in a low tone, interrupting Misao's morning training. She stopped mid kick and turned to him.
"Hai?"
"Go find Naruku," Aoshi instructed. "A letter just arrived for her."
"A letter?" Misao asked, curious.
"Yes. Go find her," Aoshi replied, and folded up a piece of parchment and slipped it in his pocket.
Misao furrowed her eyes but did as she was told. As Aoshi waited in the yard, a forest of questions sprouted in his mind. He had already ruled out the possibility that the Naruku Kenshin had spoken about was different than the one at their very home right now. After all, how many young women took to traveling on their own and bore the name 'Naruku?'
Few, Aoshi answered himself. He untucked the letter from his pocket and read it over. How did Naruku come across Kenshin? Did this mean that Enizu had succeeded in his endeavor to find the famed Battousai? Obviously he had not succeeded in killing Kenshin, but that was already a known fact. After all, no man could kill the Battousai except for Aoshi.
He smirked at this thought and recalled the single-mindedness withwhich he had pursued a battle with Kenshin. He frowned and thought that this was not so different from Enizu. Even the name made Aoshi's anger flare up, despite his normally cool demeanor.
"Aoshi?" a softer, older voice called from the steps.
Aoshi turned to see Naruku there.
"There's a letter for me?" she asked, and Misao appeared behind her. The two shuffled outside toward Aoshi.
"Indeed," Aoshi said, and gave the letter to Naruku.
"This is addressed to you," Naruku said, confused. But she glanced down at the end of the letter and the paper dropped from her grip. Misao swooped to catch it.
"Hey, what's the big d—" Misao stopped upon reading one or two lines of the letter. She turned and stared at Naruku, who was speechless.
"You know Himura?" Misao asked, her eyes wide. "How? What happened? What's going on?" She glanced toward Aoshi and saw that he was simply waiting for Naruku to speak.
When the girl did nothing but stare, completely still, at the letter in front of her, Aoshi spoke, "I was hoping Naruku could tell us."
"I…I guess it's time I explained why I'm here," Naruku decided. "I hadn't thought…" she paused. "I didn't think you'd know Kenshin," she said, looking at Misao. "And I didn't even remember that you'd fought him all those months ago," she added to Aoshi. "That was when they…when they died, though, wasn't it?" she suddenly looked very concerned.
"It was by Kanryuu's hand, and no one else's, that the Oniwbanshuu of Edo met their end," Aoshi assured her. "But come, tell us where you fit into this story."
"I'd like to know where you fit into this story as well," Naruku replied, looking from him to Misao. "How did you come to meet Kenshin and the others?"
"It's a long story," Misao said, her gaze fixed on Aoshi, looking for a reaction.
"I'm willing to listen," Naruku answered. "If you are."
Aoshi gave the tiniest nod of his head, encouraging Misao to begin the story. And so she did, telling of her first meeting with Kenshin and everything it led to. She tried her best to explain the details surrounding Shishio and the impending fight. She hesitantly revealed Aoshi's part in Shishio's plot, and how he ultimately chose what was most important to him and helped defeat Shishio in the end. She told in vivid detail how she, Kaoru, Yahiko and the Oniwaban had defended the Aoiya righteously. She explained about Saitou and what a jerk he was, even though he and Sano had been very useful in defeating Shishio. Misao looked to Aoshi to fill in details she had forgotten or never knew about in the first place, and he did so without wavering.
"That's only eight of the ten swords," Naruku realized after Misao had begun to tell of the final battle with Shishio.
"Huh?" Misao thought a moment. "You're right. I left out Fuji."
And so she explained about the giant man and his horrid master who, as Misao put it, 'everyone just wanted to punt across town.'
"But then Kenshin's master, Hiko—I never told you about him but he's a huge—"
"Jerk?" Naruku supplied suddenly, a smile coming across her face.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Misao asked.
"I met him," Naruku answered. "Not long ago. Just before I came here."
She and Misao swapped stories about his egotism for a moment before Misao continued the story and finished it with Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano and Megumi returning home to Tokyo.
"I just can't believe it," Naruku said after a beat. "You did all that with them…I never even knew."
"Aw, you mean they didn't talk about us?" Misao pouted.
"Not once," Naruku responded. "That I can remember."
"Well, now you have to tell us everything," Misao concluded. She paused for a moment upon seeing Naruku's face and realizing it was not going to be an easy story to tell.
But Naruku put on a smile and began. "Well it really starts before I even met Kenshin. When Kanryuu Takeda was arrested. We—Enizu and I, that is—" Naruku didn't notice the clenching of Aoshi's fist. "were in Sendai at the time, and when the news came that Kanryuu had been arrested, by none other than the Battousai, he lost it. Not only was our money all gone, but now everyone who Kanryuu had yet to repay were after Enizu. He did the only thing he could think of to escape them—he used me as a scapegoat. He told me to go to Tokyo and that he would find me there and I believed him… I actually…" Naruku paused and caught her breath. "Anyway, I suppose after everything Enizu put me through, there's at least one thing I can thank him for. And that's for abandoning me and sending me to Tokyo. If he hadn't done that, I never would have met Kenshin and the others."
And so Naruku closed her eyes and thought about the dojo, about home, and about Kenshin in every way she had not thought about them for the past three weeks. As images and memories surfaced in her mind, Naruku unfolded her story like a new fan, spreading its pleats so that nothing was hidden.
"Our lives were always impossibly entwined," Kenshin began slowly. "Naruku, Enizu and I. None of us knew it until that night."
"You mean…the night you fought Enizu," Yahiko stated, phrasing it almost like a question but not quite.
Kenshin nodded patiently. "Yes, Yahiko. Something you all must understand is that Naruku did not come to this dojo searching for me. She was abandoned by Enizu and when she met me, she truly had no idea of my identity. None of that was a lie on her part. She did not mean to harm us by coming here."
"So then why didn't she stop Enizu? Why did she lead him to you? Or didn't she know that he wanted to kill you?" Kaoru asked, her voice quiet.
Kenshin met her eyes without hesitancy. "It is true, Naruku was well aware of Enizu's grudge against this one. She knew of his plans to kill me. She even tried to stop him, but by then it was too late. And before that, if you all recall, she tried to leave to protect us. It was this one…this one who convinced her to stay. I didn't know at what cost I was asking this of her, but had I known, I still would have wanted it. Naruku-dono belongs here, and I truly believe that."
"When I found out that Enizu was looking for me and wanted to take me back to Sendai with him, I did the only thing I could do," Naruku said, looking heartbreakingly guilty.
"Did you tell him where Himura was?" Aoshi asked, his voice no more gentle than it had been before. And yet Naruku felt he was comforting her.
"I had to," she said. "Enizu wanted to take me away. And I couldn't—I couldn't just leave. Being there had filled me with joy in a way I hadn't felt since I left the Aoiya, and I couldn't let go of that. I know it was wrong—it was awful and selfish but I couldn't bear to leave. So I told Enizu about Kenshin, knowing it would convince him to let me stay. And it worked, of course."
"But weren't you worried that Enizu would try and attack Kenshin?" Misao asked.
Naruku turned to her. "Of course I was worried. Every day I woke up, not knowing if Enizu would try to hurt them. My worst fear was that Enizu would slip up and expose me for what I was—would tell Kenshin that I was lying, that I knew Enizu was there to hurt him. I couldn't bear it. I finally decided to try to convince Enizu to leave. He had acted perfectly throughout the past week and I thought perhaps killing Kenshin didn't mean anything to him anymore. I hoped that in losing everything, Enizu had realized what a mistake he was making by trying to kill Kenshin.
"I was wrong, of course. Enizu was no less the hateful, envious man he'd been before. But just like he had with me, he hid it well from Kenshin and the others. He still meant to kill Kenshin."
"So why didn't you just tell Kenshin and the others about Enizu?" Misao pleaded. "You knew in your heart they wouldn't hate you if you warned them against him!"
Naruku gazed at Misao sadly, wishing she had known that and wishing she'd had the strength to tell them. "It wasn't that simple, Misao."
"So what?" Sano asked, scoffing in a typical way. "So she made a few half-assed attempts to lead Enizu away. In the end she was too weak to do it, even though she knew what would happen. And yeah, I'm glad she didn't intend to hurt us from the moment she met us, but come on. She could have told us what Enizu was there for!"
"It is true, Naruku-dono made a mistake by not telling us who Enizu was. But yet another thing to think about is that Naruku-dono had known Enizu for almost her entire life. This one does not think Naruku was entirely sure where she stood between Enizu and I."
"You're not…are you saying that it's possible Naruku could have sided with Enizu? Against you?" Yahiko asked incredulously.
Kenshin was hesitant to agree. "I believe that for as long as Naruku could, she put off the choice. Once she told us about Enizu, it would have been a clear disloyalty to him. But she couldn't betray us, either.
"So she just…chose to do nothing," Kaoru said dully.
"I couldn't betray either one of them. I couldn't tell Kenshin the truth and I couldn't help Enizu, either."
"So you did nothing," Aoshi commented, his words without judgment.
"Yes. And it was the worst thing I could have done, but I only realize that now," Naruku replied. "Sano had his suspicions about Enizu. He didn't like him from the moment they met. He had the best chance of exposing Enizu—of exposing me. It got to a point where I almost wanted him to. I was too cowardly to take action myself, but not so far gone that I didn't want Kenshin and the others to know the danger they were in."
"Did you ever tell them? Or was it Enizu who exposed himself?" Misao asked, breathless for the answer.
"I…I realized, after certain events, that I had to do something. So I went to Enizu. I begged him to leave Kenshin alone. I begged him to leave with me. I was ready to leave to keep them safe, finally. If only I had been in the beginning." Naruku shook her head slowly, recalling. "But Enizu wouldn't listen. Of course he wouldn't listen! I knew then that his quest for Kenshin had been the deepest, most selfish wish of his heart. He had disguised it as something he was doing for me—killing the man who supposedly killed my father. But it was at that moment that I first saw Enizu for what he truly was—a monster, out for blood and nothing more. It was only then that I even imagined telling Kenshin, and I rushed back to the dojo as quickly as I could but—" Naruku stopped abruptly, a look of pain flashing across her face. "But I was too late."
"I had suspicions about Enizu, that I did. However, it had more to do with Naruku-dono than it did with him. She was very…different around him, which led me to believe their relationship was unbalanced. I feared for her, because I didn't want her to become the girl we first met. I believe part of the reason Naruku did not speak up was the nature of her and Enizu's relationship. She was so used to him…controlling her."
Kenshin paused a moment and waited while the others thought about this. When Naruku had first met them, she was quiet, almost too obedient and demure. It took a while, but eventually Naruku had warmed to all of them, including Kenshin.
"It never occurred to me to fear for my own life. But when Enizu arrived at the dojo that evening, I knew what he was there for. It was suddenly very clear, and Naruku had been just a tool to him."
As Kenshin said this, something suddenly dawned on Yahiko. He turned and glanced at both Sano and Kaoru, but neither of them noticed anything.
"Kenshin," Yahiko said, interrupting the older man. "Megumi said…when she was treating yours and Naruku's wounds, she said that if it hadn't been for Naruku, you could have died."
Kenshin nodded slowly. "That is true, Yahiko. Enizu and I fought for a very long time, each of us pushing the other harder, but eventually our battle was broken by Naruku. She…" Kenshin paused, as if remembering. "She made her choice that night, and it was a choice that saved my life. And I am grateful for that."
A silence encompassed the room as this proclamation sunk in for Kaoru, Sano and Yahiko.
"So…that's why…that's why you think she's coming back?" Kaoru asked, unsure.
"Before Naruku-dono left, she spoke to me. She knew…certain things about my past that I'd never told anyone before. She told me that it made her think about everything that had happened in a different way. And she told me how she felt about it—everything she had felt since she'd met me, and I knew that feeling. It was a feeling of being caught between your past and your present. And this was the feeling that led Naruku to leave. In a way, Naruku wanted to start over by leaving. At the same time, she knew if I continued to trust her and believe in her, she could finally return. Naruku made many mistakes in her life, and it took meeting us for her to realize that. So yes, Sano, I do believe Naruku-dono will return to us. And yes, Kaoru-dono, that is why I think she is coming back."
"So you see, Misao, after everything I did I had to leave. I couldn't stay knowing Kenshin almost died because of me. And I can't return until they forgive me," she said quietly, glancing at Aoshi for a moment before her gazed dropped.
Misao put a comforting hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to say.
"It is more likely that you are not returning because you cannot forgive yourself," Aoshi said candidly.
Naruku looked up at him. "Perhaps," she answered listlessly. "But it's the same either way. Going back would only—"
Aoshi opened his mouth to cut her off, but it was Misao who took action. Her hand, which seconds before had been comforting Naruku with a gentle touch on the shoulder, screamed across Naruku's left cheek, knocking the girl to the ground where she sat on her hands and knees, staring in shock at the dirt.
"That's a load of bull and you know it," Misao said forcefully. She looked at Aoshi for a moment and noted that he looked somewhat…content with her actions. This encouraged her to press on. "You care about Kenshin and they know you do! This isn't a time to get all mopey and wishy-washy. Either you've really changed Naruku, or you were never the girl I thought you were."
Misao said this with such burning pride and condescension in her voice that Naruku had to look up. Was her sweet, naïve Misao really saying those things to her? Such biting words…
Naruku slowly got to her feet, looking at her surroundings unsurely. "It's not that simple, Misao—"
"It is that simple!" the younger girl countered angrily, advancing toward Naruku. "You're the one who's making it so difficult. I want to see you happy, Naruku, and you'll never be happy if you torture yourself by staying away from the ones you love most! How can you be happy without the people who make you happy?"
"I won't be happy there if they hate me," Naruku replied, drawing toward Misao as well. The two were face to face.
"There's a reason Kenshin wrote to us, asking to help find you! He wants you back, don't you get it? He doesn't blame you, he misses you! That's all there is to it!"
"Actually Misao, that's not all there is to it," Aoshi said dryly, his arms crossed in front of him as he watched the two girls break apart hastily.
"It's not?" Misao asked, echoed closely by Naruku.
Aoshi procured the letter once again and Misao snatched it up, reading it through furiously for an answer. Naruku read over her shoulder, her eyes darkening as she went on.
Suddenly Misao's intent expression dropped off her face and she started crumpling the letter, an exasperated look on her face. "What's this rubbish supposed to mean? It's not like anyone can actually read it, his handwriting's so bad…" Misao grumbled.
"Misao!" Naruku exclaimed, snatching the letter and unfolding it in her hands. She read through the end of it and glanced over at Aoshi.
"That letter is more than it seems," Aoshi said. "Don't you wonder, why after three weeks Himura suddenly needed to find Naruku, so desperately that he would ask our help?"
"You're right, it's not like Himura to ask anyone for help!" Misao said. "Except when he's doing it for their sake. Like when he told Kaoru-chan to protect the Aoiya when he went and fought Shishio," she added matter-of-factly.
Naruku and Aoshi both paused to stare at her, wondrous that she could be so perceptive. Misao didn't notice anything.
"He did say something about the dojo…" Naruku said, looking back down at the letter.
"And he mentioned he didn't want Naruku to lose her home," Aoshi added.
Naruku's eyes were wide with realization. "I thought that meant…but…"
Aoshi nodded grimly as Naruku trailed off.
"Something's happening to the dojo?" Misao asked, suddenly concerned.
"Something indeed," Aoshi answered. "And in asking us to find Naruku, I believe Himura is asking our help in another way as well."
"That's really not like Himura!" Misao chirruped. "This is getting really sticky really fast. But—" she glanced meaningfully at Naruku as she continued, "I guess this means we've got to just follow Himura's advice if we want to find anything out."
"Advice?" Naruku asked, glancing at the young ninja girl. "What advice?"
Misao grinned broadly at the other girl. "Whether you like it or not, Naruku, it looks like we're headed to Tokyo."
End Notes: As promised, even more story-telling this chapter. And since this is a fic that really deals with the link between past and present, the stories are not over yet! But yet again I will let you wait until the next chapter(s) to find out.
Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think!
