Title The Long Goodbye
Author landofthekwt
Rating PG-13
Prompt "One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love." by Sophocles
(unsung heroes)
Word Count 1325
Warning deals with Alzheimers Character death
Summary Kohaku dies An ending for Ten Years After and a Prologue to Death Be Not Proud
Kohaku died by inches. For so long he had been the leader of the taijiya. No decision was made without his consent. Each candidate had to pass the strict tests that his father passed down to him and his sister.
It was hard to tell when he began losing his mind. He would forget names and places only to remember them later. Everyone assumed that he was just getting older. Not many were older than sixty in the Sengoku-Jidai Kohaku was more than seventy when he began experiencing memory loss
The person who might have told them what was happening was too ill to travel by that time. Kagome might have told them what was happening to Kohaku, but even she would have said that not even the science of her era could prevent what was happening to him.
Kohaku outlasted them all. By the end he was 79. Kaede was fifty years dead. Sango and Miroku died more than ten years before him. Kagome died only a year before he did. Of the humans involved in the Naraku's demise only Rin remained.
The memory loss became noticeable when Kohaku had a hard time remembering the names of the new taijiya. He still knew the names of all his children and grandchildren, but he would have to be reminded every time he was introduced to a new taijiya.
Kohaku had been the leader. Until the memory loss began he had been involved in every negotiation with the shogunate and the surrounding daimyo. Musushito was forced to take the lead because his father found these tasks increasingly difficult.
As his memory failed, people were forced to make allowances for him. Slowly, the duties he could not handle were taken away from him until he was nothing but a figure head. He was kept away from important functions where his condition would become apparent to all
Soon he was not seen in public at all. He had become an embarrassment to the taijiya. Kohaku could no longer remember events that happened just yesterday. He would ask about things that he had asked about just the day before.
While Musushito took over running the taijiya village, Shiori found that she was more and more responsible for handling Kohaku. She had always run the household. Now she had to take care of the day-to-day matters that Kohaku used to handle because he was no longer able to do so.
Soon he was unable to remember even simple things. Shiori had to dress him and take him to the toilet because he could not remember who to do so.. He could still remember who he was, but it hurt Shiori when he occassionaly forgot who she was.
If she lost track of him for more than a minute, he would wander away. Musushito would bring him back kicking and screaming Shiori had to make apologies to her own son for losing track of him. When Shiori went to Kagome's funeral he was furious that she left him alone.
The worst part was his treatment of Shiori. Once she had been his princess. The mother of the taijiya village. Now he did nothing but complain about her. Everything was his fault. He screamed and yelled at her all the time. Calling her all manner of foul names and accusing her or all kinds of foul deeds
The last year was the worst. He could no longer feed himself. Shiori had to help him relief himself. He lay in bed all day staring at the ceiling. Shiori was not sure which was worse, that he did not know who she was or alone. She would have preferred the angry Kohaku who at least cared whether she was there or not. Now he no longer acknowledged her presence.
Musushito wished Kohaku would just die. He would like to remember his father as the vital man he had been all his life. Instead, the Kohaku before him was merely existing not drawing the life out of his mother. At least he was able to get away to run the village. His mother instead sat by his bedside enduring the slow death that Kohaku was forcing on her.
One day while he was there. Kohaku stopped breathing. For a moment Musushito thought his problems were at an end. To his surprise his mother pounded on his chest as Kagome taught her until he started breathing again. For the first time in his life he raised his voice to his mother. How could she bring the thing that Kohaku now was back to life.
His mother faced him stonily and slapped him across the face "How dare you say such a thing? That man is your Father He brought you back from the dead. Raised you to be the man that you are today. The very idea that you suggest that he would be better off dead than alive is not worthy of you and dishonors him. He would have done anything to keep us alive. The very least we can do is keep him alive until the kami are ready for him"
Musushito could not take it anymore " I wash my hands of him. I have watched him suck the life out of you. You watch over him day and night as if he were a baby, but he is not. His life is over Keeping him like this dishonors everything that he was in life. Do you think that he would want to live like this? Not knowing who he is or who you are. Not able to feed himself or go to the bathroom without your help. I have a village to run and a family to care for. You can stay here if you want, but do not bother me again about him until he is dead.
With that Musushito slammed out of the door leaving a stunned Shiori in his wake. Not knowing what to do , she resumed her vigil at Kohaku's bedside. After she finished feeding him, bathing him and emptying his bowels, she was exhausted.
Though she promised to stay awake, she found herself drifting One moment she was by Kohaku's side. The next moment she was in Kohaku's arms as he and Kirara came to her rescue. Was this a dream? It seemed so much like that magic moment fifty eight years ago.
"Kohaku, are you real?"
"Yes, Shiori I am just as you remember me so many years ago. I did not realize that you saw me as a dashing young hero"
" You were my hero, Kohaku. I was in love with you and you came just in nick of time to save me. Without this moment, we would never have rebuilt the taijiya village and had the wonderful life that we had. How is this possible? Is this a dream?'
"No, Shiori. This is the best moment in both our lives. The kami are allowing me to share it with you before I move on "
Shiori shivered " I don't want you to move on. That is why I stayed by your side this past year, so that you won't leave me"
Kohaku put a finger to her lips " I have been selfish. I wanted you so much that I could not let you go. I realize now how much I have hurt you by lingering. Give me just this one night. Hold me through the night and then release me. Someday we will be together again, but all I ask for now is tonight"'
Shiori cried but she could never refuse Kohaku. She crawled into bed next Kohaku and held tight to him. In the morning Musushito found them spooned together. Kohaku had passed in the night. He asked his mother what happened, but she told him that Kohaku's last night belonged ro the two of them and she would treasure the memory of that night in her heart till the day she died"