The Illusion of Normal
Part 7: The Picture
Kenshin lay with his head resting on Callesto's shoulder, he was gazing down at the image of the creature. "Vampire, that's what he called me, then he would call his Little Killer," he shook his head and whispered. "This one does not want connection to Hitokiri Battosai any longer." He felt her hand against his left cheek. "Callesto-dono…I…"
"Kenshin, don't say anything, I could care less if you're a vampire, we were meant to meet," she gazed at him with a sad expression. She looked out at the garden, she was waiting, she could feel Kenshin's warm breath on her neck, the feeling of him holding her to him. She could feel the warmth growing, the desire he had. "If you have to Kenshin, I do not mind."
As soon as the words were said that was when Ran burst in pulling her away and behind him, while Kenshin sat staring up confused. He did not move, his eyes were a deep yellow, something in those eyes did not say Kenshin, but said something much more dangerous. This is the creature that he hides from everyone, the monster that he is so afraid of showing me, Callesto pushed herself between Ran and Kenshin, she knelt down touching his face. "Look at me, don't look at him, look at me," her eyes were gentle, she was whispering. "Kenshin, the blood I give you, is out of love." She felt his kiss on her shoulder, she felt him showing his fangs, letting them nick the nape of her neck and he start to drink a little.
Kenshin returned to himself holding her letting his eyes close and he was shaking his head. "This one cannot give into this," he brought his fingers up brushing her hair, he out a labored gasp, he was hiding it in him again. He nuzzled against her, his eyes closing feeling the warmth of her body, the feeling that he could not let her go even if he wanted to. Kaoru-dono led me to Callesto-dono, this one cannot take her life, he was fighting back the creature inside.
When Callesto left, that was when Kenshin had the feeling that Ran was hiding from him, he turned around to see Ran walking out. "I'm leaving for the night, I need to…" that was when he saw Kenshin's eyes. "What?"
"What is Weiss?" Kenshin asked.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Ran walked away.
"I am not blind, this one can smell it on you even when you wash it off. What have you done that drives you so far from me? You never were like this when you were younger," Kenshin asked something so simple that was he saw the taller man's eyes turning around.
"I'm not going to follow in your steps, Kenshin, I'm doing this for Aya-chan," he walked away.
"Revenge is not going to make her wake up," he heard the elder of the family say it. "Only time can do that. You can't make the judgment on an entire family."
"Yet, you allowed Kikono marry a murderer, you let her." Ran finally yelled. "Kyo committed suicide after she did the same. You let it happen!"
"I did not, it happened because of the blood curse. A curse that haunts all our family, all because I became a vampire. I passed it onto my children, and they passed it on to theirs, Ran, do you not see that I hate it," Kenshin whispered shaking his head. "Kikono and Mamoru suffered, as did her other two boys."
"Do you not see Mamoru when you see Omi?" Ran yelled and brought the pictures up, "Omi is Mamoru! Your precious heir! And what am I? Just the guardian of this family, a family that is falling apart while you dwell for the loss of a woman that died giving her love to you. I have seen you since I was a child hiding from us, hiding from us all until the day that curse grabs us. It grabbed me at fifteen, you were there to give me your blood to pull me through it. Binding me to you!"
Kenshin dropped his head. "What have you done, Ran?"
"All that I have done is to protect you and Aya-chan, to keep us secret and safe," the taller man's eyes were filling with suffering. "I had to save a girl from nearly having her kidney stolen by a mad scientist. She went through surgery to get another to replace the other that was stolen. Sakura-chan is able to run because of me, she's able to smile and laugh. Do I like it that she has to live with that scar in her mind? Do I want her walking around thinking someone is going to try and do it again?" He shook his head making Kenshin realize how much he hated it. "Sakura-chan is going to be what Aya-chan should be, and when she wakes up, Sakura-chan will be there to help her."
Kenshin sat down and looked at him. "There are many things we can't fix or try to fix. I should know, I tried to fix them all. That there," he pointed to a stump near the gate. "Was once a huge tree, my daughter, Rei climbed up it when she was six, she was scared and was clinging to the trunk as I climbed up after her. She was crying when I carried her down, when I asked her what brought her to doing it, apparently some boys took her favorite kite and put all the way to the top, and started calling her names.
"Kenji went up the tree with a ladder, he nearly hurt himself and brought down the broken kite. Rei was so upset she did not want anymore toys after that, all because she was afraid that someone would break her toys again. I had to tell her that we risk everything when we get something new," Kenshin shook his head. "Rei-chan and Sakura-dono are no different, sure my daughter was afraid of getting a toy because she was afraid someone would just break it, it didn't stop her godfather, Saitou from bringing her a new kite." His eyes were down. "The truth is, every risk someone takes is chance for something new. Don't think on Sakura-dono thinking or fearing that someone will hurt her, she won't be afraid."
"She's not afraid, I see it in her eyes though, the fear she has each time," Ran walked away, he was hiding his head. "You ask me why I do it? So other girls like Sakura-chan and Aya-chan don't go through what they went through. I don't want them to suffer, I don't want anyone to suffer needlessly for something so trivial as power."
"People suffer not matter what you do, I can't stop you from doing this," Kenshin went into the house. "Just don't turn out like I almost did, if you do, you will have me to deal with, and you know how dangerous I can get."
"I know enough, but you don't kill, you'll knock me senseless," Ran told him.
"I can do much more than that, I once broke a man's arm and hand so he could not even use a katana anymore."
Kenshin smiled and shook his head. "Rei-chan used to say I was the bravest person in the whole world to her. What's funny is little children think always of their fathers. Also you said the same thing when you were little too."
"Kenshin, what if I brought Omi to you, his memories of his life as a Takatori have returned."
Omi did not know what to expect, he remembered so few things from his life as a small child, then he realized something. A small flicker of memory of sitting in the lap of a man with red hair who whispered to him stories about a place and times from long ago. Omi could not believe the man in his memories was Kenshin at all.
He walked into the dojo to find Kenshin sitting on the veranda, something about this seemed familiar. What if he knows all about Weiss? Aya-kun said he can't hide anything from him anymore, that we're cousins of some kind. Walking up to Kenshin, he saw him smile, there was something different. "So you remember me?" Kenshin asked quietly. "Mamoru-chan."
Omi sat down and blinked, for a moment, he had a faded memory of just sitting in Kenshin's lap as a small child. He remembered wearing a white dress shirt and shorts. His brothers were laughing as he squirmed in Kenshin's arms. The boy was blinking as something was brought up to him, a moment later, the memories were different.
"Omi, calm down," he heard Kenshin's voice. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Lying on a futon, Omi had almost went into shock, he was lying with his head resting in Kenshin's lap, he was bringing some water to his lips. "Don't take all of it, just a little," the voice was soft, but something about this was not just drinking water. The cup had a strange warmth to it. "Calm down, breath."
Why am I panicking? What is happening? Omi remembered something, his mother going to the doctors for a transfusion. "She gave your three children, you can't ask much more of her," one of the doctors was walking away. "She has the same condition as her cousin." Omi was holding onto his brother Hirofumi's hands, he was watching his father, he was watching Masafumi glaring.
"When I become a doctor, both Mamoru-chan and Ka-san won't be ill," Masafumi told his father walking away. "I don't care if I didn't get the disorder it isn't fair!"
Ill, I was ill? Omi didn't remember ever being sick, he looked up at Kenshin who was looking at him. "Feeling better?"
"What happened?"
"I think you just got all worked up," Kenshin smiled a little. "Sometimes Ran worries I get like that and I faint like you did." He walked off to the other side of the room, he sat down and brought out a picture. "I should have known it was you from the start, even with a different name, you are still my Mamoru-chan."
"I'm sorry, but part of me still doesn't remember anything. I know that Ka-san was ill, she was always talking about something called a curse. She said she hoped I never got it. My brothers didn't get it."
Kenshin nodded. "Not everyone gets it, there are those in the family that don't ever get it. Then there are those who do and go steadily insane from it." He looked down, he touched Ran's picture and shook his head. "My fear is you and Ran may lose to it."
"Don't think that, Kenshin-kun, we promise not to," Omi smiled.
"I wish I could believe you."
"Why?" Omi had to ask this.
Kenshin shook his head. "I don't feel Weiss is good, but I can't erase the crimes or ill that has been brought upon you or Ran." He shook his head and smiled a little. "Omi, you really do you have Kikono's eyes. I do miss her."
When he left, Omi had to think about this, the curse, a curse on the family. "Aya-kun, what is the curse the Kenshin-kun brings up?"
That was when Ran's eyes went from purple to yellow, a horrible yellow, he backed against the gate, that was when he saw someone who looked a lot like Kenshin rush out. "Don't scare him anymore!" this person knelt down. "Mamoru-chan return home, think nothing more of what was told you until you are feeling up to the change."
What is happening to Aya-kun? What is happening to Kenshin-kun? Why do I feel like something is wrong with me? Omi walked back to the apartment, he shut himself into the room and thought again about something. Callesto-san, does she know?
The attack on Takatori was swift enough, Callesto hid at the Kamiya Dojo, she remained with Kenshin as long as she could, she and him were very much in love. She knew Ran was intentionally keeping himself busy, Aya-chan was moved to a hospital still in her coma. Omi was a visitor at all times, though he was certain to keep the vampire secret.
"Has Omi changed?" Ran asked one night when he visited.
"No, he's the same," Kenshin smiled a little. "He would rather be Omi than Mamoru, having Takatori as a surname does not suit him. His grandfather had not asked me what my desire is as it was my right to name him." Walking slowly around the house, he turned his head a little. "Would it be unwise for Omi to take my surname in its place of Takatori?"
"If that's his wish, I'm not the heir of the Himura house anymore," Ran walked, then noticed Kenshin shaking his head.
"Omi can't be my heir, it will always be you, Ran, and for good reason. I know that it's been nearly three months, why not move back to the house?" Kenshin asked.
"I can't return until Aya-chan is able to walk around with us," Ran walked off.
Smiling Kenshin nodded, he heard nothing of the assassins or even Weiss mentioned between Ran or Omi, he was happy enough those dark days were done. Callesto though did not seem convinced that there was ever going to be end.
She had other problems too, Kenshin had made his intentions known to her brother who reluctantly agreed with it. It was her choice, not just Kenshin's, but he had to make it known he was not going to have to her involved in anything anymore to do with Eszette.
"It may not be her choice," Bradley had said this during the last visit. "She may try to hide from them, but they will always find her. You can't hope to protect her from what they will do to the both of you."
It did come though, not as Kenshin thought, he had been in the house most of the day, the cycles of vampirism for him ended. He refused to feed on Callesto, but something about this night made him uneasy, he walked through the house, he walked toward the gate that night. "Callesto-dono?" He blinked this night was not normal, she would have been home at least well before dark, her classes ended almost hours ago.
He looked around the streets, he glanced through the gate, something made his blood run cold in him. "No…not good," rushed to the phone.
"Hold on, calm down," he heard Omi's voice. "I'll be over soon!"
Sure enough within fifteen minutes Omi arrived, he was looking around the dojo. "So she didn't show up..are you sure she isn't running late?"
"She would call if she was late," Kenshin pointed out. "Callesto-dono, please say she is safe." He followed Omi outside, he had read the newspapers about the girls going missing.
"Calm down, I'm sure she didn't get snatched off the street," Omi was not so sure he could get Kenshin to believe him, but with the newspapers going around and him being an avid reader of it, it was not going to be easy. "I'm sure she's fine."
She never did show up, and when Ran called to announce that Aya-chan was kidnapped, it only made the panic worse. Ran arrived back at the dojo to find Kenshin passed out on a futon, Omi was sitting next t him fanning his face. "Callesto-san is gone too?" Ran asked in surprise.
"Hai, and Kenshin hasn't fed in days," Omi glared and shook his head.
Days? How long is days? Ran glared and went to the frig, he was digging around in it. Bringing in the blood, he brought it to Kenshin's lips. "I know it isn't fresh, but you have to drink it," he held up his ancestor's head and made him drink the blood. "I will find Callesto and Aya-chan!"