Epilogue
Kenji returned to Japan and finished his learning with Hiko Seijuro, all the while studying with private tutors in Kyoto. With the money of his trust, he bought Hadaka's plot of land and had a house built. Megumi and Sanosuke moved in. Kenji returned to England and completed a law degree at King's College London. He married Sakurako as her sponsorship ended. He went on the serve under Ambassadors Hayashi Tadasu's and Komura Jutaro in London before returning to Japan with his wife and two sons. Thanks to his friendship with Isaac, he played an active role in Japanese-American relations during World War I. His political career rose during the Taisho democracy years. In 1927, his disagreement with Japan's growing desire to leave the League of Nation and his overall negative view of the rise of Japanese fascism lead to his dismissal from his position in the government. Most of the Meiji Genro having passed away, he could not muster enough support to plead his cause. He retired but got involved with anti-war groups. He died on May 26, 1945, at the age of 63 during a US incendiary bomb raid on Tokyo. Throughout the years Kenji continued to practice both Kamiya Kashin Ryu and Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. He refused to teach the latter of his sons.
Sakurako remained in England after Kenji left and completed a degree at Victoria College in Manchester. She moved to London upon completion and lived with the Van de Meer until her marriage to Kenji. The couple rented rooms near Piccadilly Circus and welcomed their first son, Shinta, not long after. Sakurako was soon pregnant again but lost the child. After two more miscarriages (all girls) she gave birth to a healthy boy, Koshijiro. They soon moved back to Tokyo where she became an active member of the New Woman's association and later the Tokyo Federation of Women's Organizations. She ceased all involvement following Kenji's dismissal for fear of reprisal from the Showa government. Shinta, choosing a career in the military, fell out with his parents before being deployed in China. He survived the war years. Koshijiro was drafted as a Kamikaze in late 1944 and died in the Pacific theatre mere weeks before the end of the war. Sakurako never completely recovered from the loss. Having lost both her husband and her house in the Tokyo bombings, Sakurako moved back to her hometown where she was eventually joined by her surviving son. She died in 1964 at the age of 84.
Upon returning to Japan, Sanosuke was offered a proper job with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police by Saito Hajime. He did mostly undercover work until he got injured in the field. He was then transferred to a desk job with which he was relatively happy until Megumi passed away. Following her death, he moved to Japan occupied Taiwan, working as a local policeman in a small town. He never achieved his dream of marrying Megumi however they lived together under Kenji's roof for many years. He never offered Kenji to adopt him. He died at the age of 72 in 1931, not long after the Manchurian Incident.
Megumi continued her medical practice until she contracted tuberculosis; she died of complications of the disease in 1921 at the age of 66. She did refuse to marry Sanosuke but their life together turned into a loving, if unusual, partnership. She and Sakurako got along extremely well and she cherished Kenji's children like her own.
Ai Van de Meer's high society life continued in Yorkshire until WWI, at which point Penningcox Park was temporarily transformed into a hospital for wounded soldiers. Her sons Ken and Icarus enlisted with the army and fought in France. Icarus was killed in action during the Battle of Bazentin Bridge. Ken lost his right leg during the same battle. He returned home to his mother shell shocked and grief stricken. Once he recovered, he campaigned for better mental health support for veterans. Ai's daughter, Emily, married a Canadian doctor and moved to Vancouver, Canada shortly before 1912. She never returned to the UK and never saw her brother again. He husband enlisted as an army surgeon and survived the war. Ai visited her daughter in 1920 and, accompanied by Emily's eldest daughter, Clara, they journeyed to Japan in 1921. In 1929, Ai and Fersen weathered the Financial Crash but had to sell their London residence to remain afloat. Fersen died of liver cancer in 1940. Ai lived to be a hundred and died in her sleep in 1972 at her Yorkshire residence. Unable to maintain the house, Ken donated Penningcox Park to the UK National Trust in 1974.
Iribe Yumiko lived well into her 80s and died of old age in her sleep. Icarus' death made her go through Hikaru's death all over again. She kept an active correspondence with the Himura and the Sagara until she passed away. She never saw Japan again.
Yahiko and Tsubame went on to have three more children, of them one girl who took on Megumi's medical practice. Of their three sons, only one survived WW2.
Kenshin's oak tree still stands at Penningcox Park to this day. Every fall, the leaves turns a vivid shade of red.
NOTE
Thank you for following Kenji's story for 30 chapters! If you want more Kenshin related stories make sure to read "One of These Nights", "Gohatto" and "Beyond Love and Grief".