Chapter One Hundred Six
Kenshin's brow furrowed. "Chose her? She was only ten at that time. And why give her my true name? What purpose did that serve if you were merely going to kill her?" The questions spilled out, one after the other. Now that he was finally getting answers, he did not want to chance losing the opportunity. The Kagu-tsuchi provided those answers calmly, and without emotion.
"WHEN I TOLD TAKIBI THAT I HAD CHOSEN KAORU TO BE THE MOTHER OF MY PERFECT VESSEL, HE INITIALLY APPROVED. SHE WAS ACCEPTING AND GENEROUS. SHE HAD A STRONG WILL, AND SHE WAS WISE BEYOND HER YEARS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, SHE WAS WILLING TO BEFRIEND YOU. GIVING HER YOUR TRUE NAME WAS MEANT TO CREATE A BOND BETWEEN YOU. IF THAT BOND HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO GROW, IT WOULD HAVE MADE THE CONCEPTION OF MY VESSEL THAT MUCH STRONGER."
The long silences were so far the only way Kenshin had found the Kagu-tsuchi showed he was capable of complex emotion. As the current pause stretched, the Kagu-tsuchi appeared to glance over his shoulder at the mirror-like barrier.
"IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION FOR HER TO DIE SO YOUNG. IT WAS MY PLAN TO INSTRUCT YOU ON WHAT TO DO AT THE END OF HER LIFE, AND I WOULD HAVE GIVEN HER A PAINLESS DEATH WITH MY BLADE. I THOUGHT THIS TO BE… COMPASSIONATE. YOUR FATHER, HOWEVER, THOUGHT THIS TO BE CRUEL. WHEN HE LEARNED HOW MY VESSEL WAS TO BE CONCEIVED, HE REFUSED TO BRING YOU TO MEET HER. HE WANTED TO FIND ANOTHER WAY, DESPITE MY GUARANTEE THAT THERE WAS NOT ONE."
"My father loved humans." From Kenshin's perspective, it was foolish for the Kagu-tsuchi to try to plan the death of a human with his father who had developed such a deep love for them.
"YOUR FATHER LOVED YOU." The correction was matter-of-fact. "HE DID NOT WANT HIS SON TO COME TO LOVE SOMEONE, ONLY TO HAVE TO TAKE THEIR LIFE AT THE END OF IT."
Many things made sense to Kenshin then. Why he had never heard his father speak of Kaoru. Why his father had never spoken of the Kagu-tsuchi being sentient. It was obvious he had thought to protect him until he could find a solution, but that plan had backfired. It had all backfired. It was time to ask the question he really wanted an answer to.
"How did you know Kaoru was going to be brought back from the dead?" Piercing her soul to bring Kenji into the world would have not been possible if she were never revived by a necromancer.
"I DID NOT. THAT WAS NEVER THE PLAN."
Surprised, Kenshin's frown deepened.
"Then what was?"
"MY PERFECT VESSEL HAD TO BE CONCEIVED INSIDE OF DEATH'S VEIL. IF DONE THE WAY I HAD PLANNED, IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN VERY LITTLE TIME FOR HIM TO COME TO FULL TERM. I DO NOT HAVE POWER OVER DEATH, AS MANY HAVE CLAIMED. DEATH IS A SEPARATE ENTITY, AND HE TAKES ORDERS FROM NO ONE. ALL THAT I CAN DO IS ACCESS DEATH'S VEIL. TWENTY SECONDS AFTER THE PASSING OF THE MOTHER, YOU WOULD HAVE USED MY BLADE TO CUT AN OPENING IN THE VEIL, AT WHICH TIME MY VESSEL WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY FORMED AND READY TO BE BORN."
"Twenty seconds? But Kenji was in the veil for three hundred years… and he's still developing."
"YES. NEITHER YOUR CORE NOR THE MOTHER'S SOUL WERE DEVELOPED ENOUGH AT THE TIME OF HIS CONCEPTION FOR HIM TO MATURE AS QUICKLY AS HE WAS MEANT TO. ALSO, BRINGING HIM BACK TO THE WORLD OF THE LIVING, EVEN INSIDE ANOTHER'S SOUL, BEFORE HE WAS FULLY FORMED CAUSED A DELAY… AND IT CREATED A VERY SMALL WINDOW FOR HIS BIRTH TO OCCUR WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE TO THE WORLD."
"Are you saying something will happen to the world if he is not extracted from Kaoru's soul on time?" This was a complication he had not expected. To be fair, the entire situation was an unexpected complication.
"IF LEFT ALONE, HE WILL EVENTUALLY KILL THE MOTHER, AND SCORCH HALF THE PLANET IN THE AFTERMATH. THIS IS WHY HE HAD TO BE CONCEIVED IN AND BORN FROM DEATH'S VEIL. TO PREVENT COLLATERAL DAMAGE." Another, shorter pause, and he plainly looked over his shoulder this time to gaze at Kaoru as her lips formed silent words of animated excitement. "BUT THAT NO LONGER MATTERS. YOU HAVE MADE YOUR DECISION. I WILL AID YOU IN EXTINGUISHING THE VESSEL INSIDE HER SOUL. SHE WILL BE SAVED AND THE IMMINENT THREAT WILL BE GONE."
Turning his chin, Kenshin as well looked at Kaoru, and watched as she spoke to the higher being on the other side of the mirrorlike barrier. Her expression was warm, and her posture was open, as if she were talking to someone she was comfortable with. Someone she trusted… and even loved.
"SHE DOES NOT SPEAK TO ME AS YOU DO. SHE IS NOT CONNECTED THE WAY WE ARE. SHE DOES NOT KNOW OF MY HISTORY." Slowly, Kenshin turned his gaze back onto the higher being, and his brow line furrowed upward. "SHE SPEAKS TO ME AS SHE DOES MY VESSEL. AS A MOTHER TO HER SON. I… HAVE NEVER KNOWN A MOTHER. ONLY MY FATHER, WHO CREATED ALL THINGS IN EXISTENCE."
The Kagu-tsuchi continued to look through the shimmering window in quiet contemplation. When Kenshin glanced back at Kaoru, he was just in time to watch as she reached out and touched the forearm of the Kagu-tsuchi she spoke to. It was an unconscious action, a familiar gesture, and whatever their conversation was it continued without so much as a pause, as if nothing had changed. From their perspective, however, Kenshin watched as the starlit form on her side faded until what appeared to be a grown man stood before her. With his back to them, Kenshin could only see his otherworldly attire, and his long, high ponytail of red hair. It was clear to him then. Kaoru did not see what he saw when he looked at the Kagu-tsuchi. She saw only Kenji as an adult. She saw only their son.
Violet irises of soft flame lowered, his chin turning towards his right shoulder. Far below them, inside of this limitless core, he could see the young child he had just met playing on the swings.
"Mama said you're the best teacher." A soft twitch pulled at one side of his mouth. "I love Mama a lot."
"I have one last question." Both gave up their study of outside distractions to look at each other once more. "What is a flame celestial?"
There was a tangible air of confusion about the higher being when he responded.
"YOU ARE A FLAME CELESTIAL, LIKE YOUR FATHER AND EVERY VESSEL THAT CAME BEFORE YOU."
Automatically, Kenshin shook his head to disagree.
"No. I am a fire demon. That's what I was always told."
An honest and rather exasperated sigh pushed into the air, and Kenshin looked around since he could not believe it had come from the higher being.
"I HAD NEARLY FORGOTTEN. I GREW WEARY OF TRYING TO CORRECT THIS FALLACY. ONE OF MY PREVIOUS VESSELS HAD A… CRISIS OF IDENTITY. SHE DID NOT BELIEVE ANY OF MY CHILDREN SHOULD BE REFERRED TO AS CELESTIAL BEINGS WHEN THEY WERE ALL BORN ON AND OF THE EARTH. ONLY I WAS BORN OF THE STAR, SO ONLY I COULD BE CELESTIAL, OR SO SHE CLAIMED." Waving a hand in the air, the Kagu-tsuchi dismissed the explanation as meaningless. "IT MATTERS NOT WHAT YOU CALL YOURSELF, OR WHAT OTHERS CALL YOU. IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE A FLAME CELESTIAL."
It took a moment, but Kenshin made the connection.
"Flame celestials are what you call your vessels."
The Kagu-tsuchi nodded.
"FLAME CELESTIALS ARE SACRED, JUST AS DRAGONS ARE SACRED. IF YOUR CORE HAD NOT BEEN DAMAGED, KENSHIN SON OF TAKIBI, YOU WOULD HAVE LIKELY BEEN THE STRONGEST FLAME CELESTIAL SINCE THE FIRST I CREATED. WHICH IS WHY I CHOSE YOU TO BE MY VESSEL'S FATHER."
"Me?" Unadulterated confusion coupled with denial crossed Kenshin's arm. "I'm not that strong… but my father was. Why did you not choose him? Everyone said he was the strongest fire demon in history."
"I… TOLERATED TAKIBI. HE VERY WELL COULD HAVE BEAT THE FIRST FLAME CELESTIAL IN A FIGHT, BUT HIS POWER WAS COLD AND CORROSIVE. I FOUND IT UNCOMFORTABLE." Kenshin frowned and wanted to argue. His father's power had always been a source of pride for Kenshin. Hearing someone speak ill of it was slightly annoying. "YOUR POWER IS MUCH LIKE THE FIRST FLAME CELESTIAL, AND THEREFORE MUCH LIKE MY OWN. IT IS… SOOTHING."
His annoyance faded as he remembered the purpose of his questions, to gain as much knowledge as possible. Whether what he had been told about the nature of his power was true or not, he was going to move forward as if it were. If my power is truly like the first's, then that means there's a chance I can still use the Kagu-tsuchi's power to the fullest. Even if just once. Just for a moment. One moment is all I need.
"Your power is capable of cutting through the barrier between the living plane and Death's Veil. That's what I did, right? When I stabbed Kaoru through the heart, I not only pierced her soul, I pierced the Veil."
In his peripheral vision, Kaoru continued to silently chat away with her version of the Kagu-tsuchi.
"YES."
Satisfied with the confirmation, Kenshin nodded. That meant he was capable of using that form of the Kagu-tsuchi's power. If he had done it once, he could do it again. Finally, he had all the information that he needed.
"Then all I need to do this time is pierce her soul without damaging it." A harmless smile pulled at Kenshin's features, and the motion pushed his eyes closed. "The solution is quite simple, I'm ashamed it took me this long to figure it out."
"IT IS NOT SIMPLE AT ALL." Exasperation touched the deep tones of the higher being. The longer they conversed, the longer they were there, the wider the range of emotion he revealed. Kenshin could not be sure if it was Kaoru's influence, or Kenji's. Either way, it made conversing with the higher being feel more natural. More familiar. "YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THIS AS YOU ARE. THE POWER WILL BE TOO MUCH FOR YOUR DAMAGED CORE TO HANDLE. YOU COULD DIE."
"You said the first flame celestial would have been able to save Miss Kaoru. If that is true, then I will make it a reality." Still smiling, Kenshin spoke through his skepticism in an almost maddeningly calm way. "I will save Miss Kaoru… and I will save Kenji, too."
"YOU CANNOT JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU WISH IT TO BE."
"No." Another glance was thrown at Kaoru, and Kenshin lifted a hand. He hesitated at first, because it felt strange as the temporary vessel to a being older than the planet. Then he reached out to touch the Kagu-tsuchi on the shoulder. The connection shattered the voided appearance of the entity he carried and protected, and left behind the distressed features of a young man that could have been a mirror of him. With hair as red as heated embers, and eyes of unearthly blue, Kenshin was given a glimpse of what Kenji would look like as a young adult. "I will make it happen… because a father does what he must to protect his family. My father taught this to me, and in turn, I will teach this to my son."
X
When Kaoru regained consciousness, she felt the spray from the waterfall first, and then the pressure of something flattened to her chest. Automatically, her hand lifted to cover her chest protectively, the previously unwitting action now purposeful since remembering Kenji's presence. Her fingers bumped into something in her way, however, and her eyes snapped open as she grabbed hold of the wrist connected to the hand that covered her sternum. Every muscle in her body contracted, half-curling her upright, and her wide sapphire eyes stared wildly up into Kenshin's own burning violet. For a long, tense moment, neither of them moved or spoke. Their argument hung like coiled tension in the air between them, reminding her of the fear she had felt regarding his intention and actions. The longer she stared at him now, though, the more she was certain that he was no longer possessed by that terrified desperation. Slowly, the muscles in her back and torso relaxed, snuggling her deeper into the arm and thigh bracing her from behind. The hand grasping his wrist loosened, and instead of trying to push him away, she held his hand closer and smiled.
A tension she had not noticed loosened from around his eyes, and he swallowed roughly.
"Miss Kaoru… will you marry me?"
Unexpected delight brightened her features suddenly and fiercely, and she squealed before shooting straight up to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Yes! Yes! Definitely yes!"
Low chuckles shook his frame, but she did not care how silly he thought she was. Squeezing her eyes shut as she hugged him tighter, she finally laughed when her weight overbalanced him and they fell over onto the rock with him underneath. Grinning hard enough that her cheeks hurt, she leaned her face into the hand he cupped against her temple.
"I will protect you, and I will protect our son. I promise."
The grin softened, and she nodded happily.
"We'll protect him together."
It was his turn to nod, his features slightly creased with pained joy.
"You're right. From now on, I don't want to do anything… unless it's together with you."
Leaning forward, Kaoru pressed her mouth to his, as if to seal their promise. As the contact lingered, the elation inside of her lurched with butterflies. Content to follow the mood as it flowed naturally from happy love to sweet desire, she rolled with him, her lashes parting dreamily to find a bubble of fire had surrounded them; shielding them from the outside world and the invasive spray of water. Beneath her, she thought she felt the spring of moss push up out of the hard rock to create a more inviting bed for their love-making. It seemed impossible, though, so she ignored it in favor of falling into the gentle way he burned the love he had for her into his touch.
Much later as the sun began to peek over the horizon, Kaoru sighed into the curve of his neck. Curled around him and comfortably warm despite her nakedness, she drowsily fell in and out of consciousness; safe and comfortable in his embrace. Soft, bandaged fingers stroked tenderly across the skin of her arm, and the indention of his cross-shaped wound was pressed into crown of her skull.
"Miss Kaoru."
Fighting to keep her eyelids open, Kaoru hummed for him to continue.
"I know… you would probably prefer to have a ceremony with our friends. I would like that as well, but… it would be best if we were married as soon as possible."
Pushing herself up just enough to meet his gaze, Kaoru blinked to rid herself of sleep.
"Like… now?"
Red eyebrows contracted briefly. "Yes."
Smiling sleepily, Kaoru flopped back onto his shoulder.
"Okay. Let's do it." A yawn overtook her, and she turned her face into him to hide it. "Can it wait… just five more minutes, though?" Sleeping had been difficult when she knew he was suffering. This was the first time in three nights she had been forced to fight sleep and not the other way around.
"You're not going to ask why?"
Small shakes of her head preceded her denial.
"Nope. I trust you, Kenshin. You can tell me later."
Chuckling lightly, Kenshin kissed her on the forehead and agreed.
"We will wait until you are awake enough to coherently consent."
"Ten more minutes. No more."
Sneaking a second kiss, Kenshin dropped his head back into the layer of cushion his fire had amazingly created, and stared up at the overhead sky. The bubble of his shelter distorted them from the outside, so that no one would unknowingly walk up on something they should not see. From the inside, though, their view was crystal clear. High overhead, the dark sky was lightening with the first rays of the sun. Even though his transition had failed, it had done strange things to his power.
"IF YOU ARE DETERMINED TO TRY THIS, I MUST GIVE YOU ONE LAST WARNING. IT IS ABOUT THE POWERS THAT SHE HAS."
"The Death Powers she obtained by coming back through the Veil? Will they affect yours?"
"THEY HAVE NO BEARING ON THE BIRTH OF MY VESSEL."
"Then I don't see a problem with them. Kaoru has been training herself, and she has gained admirable control over her powers."
"THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS THEIR ORIGIN THAT I WISH TO WARN YOU OF. ONLY ONE OF HER POWERS CAN BE CONSIDERED A DEATH POWER, AND IT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS POWER SHE HAS."
"Only one? Do you mean the onibi? What about the others? Where did they come from if they're not Death Powers?"
"THE ONIBI FLAME, WHICH SHE WAS ABLE TO MORPH INTO ICE FLAMES, WAS A POWER GIVEN TO HER BY MY VESSEL, NOT BY DEATH. WHEN WE CONNECTED THROUGH HER JUST NOW, I WAS ABLE TO ACCESS MY VESSEL'S MEMORIES OF THEIR TIME IN THE VEIL. HE GAVE HER THE ONIBI FLAME JUST BEFORE THEY WERE TAKEN FROM THE VEIL AND BROUGHT INTO THE LIVING PLANE. HE DID THIS BECAUSE IT IS A COLD FLAME. HE HOPED THAT IT WOULD COUNTERACT THE HEAT FROM HIS CORE AND SAVE HER FROM HARM."
"That… was clever of him." Kenshin blinked. "Does that mean he can use the onibi flame, too? I thought only the dead could use it?"
"SINCE HIS CONCEPTION HAPPENED INSIDE OF DEATH'S VEIL, HE IS OF DEATH AND OF LIFE. THERE IS NO FLAME MY VESSEL CANNOT USE."
That made sense. "And her other powers?"
"SHE DEVELOPED HER POWER TO ENTICE WITH HER VOICE WHILE INSIDE THE VEIL. IT IS NOT A DEATH POWER, BUT SOMETHING SHE HERSELF LEARNED. I AM UNCERTAIN HOW, BUT IT IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN HER FINAL POWER."
"Her eyes?"
"YES. THEY ARE HER DEATH POWER, BUT THEY WERE NOT GIVEN TO HER, NOR WAS IT A POWER THRUST UPON HER WHEN PASSING BACK THROUGH THE VEIL. SHE INADVERTENTLY STOLE THAT POWER FROM DEATH HIMSELF."
Violet eyes widened at the implication.
"VERY FEW HAVE EVER BEEN GRANTED THIS POWER, AND NO ONE HAS EVER TAKEN IT BEFORE. DEATH CONSIDERS THOSE WHO HAVE IT SPECIAL, AND KEEPS THEM FOR HIMSELF. HE WILL NOT GIVE HER UP WITHOUT A FIGHT."
Tightening his hold around Kaoru's shoulders, Kenshin lifted the hand draped over his chest to kiss her inner wrist tenderly. Kenshin had told no one, but he had long since planned for how he meant to deal with Death. That plan had not changed, but had become more pressing.
X
A/N: These last two chapters were a pain in the butt. I had to re-write them a couple of times, because I just wasn't satisfied with the way they turned out. I feel better about them now, but still worry I didn't do them justice. Everything I wanted to be in the them is there, but somehow I don't know if it was very impactful? Possibly because I had to rewrite it so many times, and I'm pretty numb to it at this point.
I do want to ask your (the reader's) opinion about the all caps. It was a precedence that I set early on when the Kagu-tsuchi speaks, so I felt like a had to keep it to make it clear that it is him speaking, but at the same time I'm not sure it's easy to read. In fact, it kind of looks like the pages are screaming at me, lol. I left them for continuity's sake, but wanted to know what everyone thinks about them as a reader. Are they okay? Did you find it hard to read? Did you find it helpful for his character? Please just let me know. It's really bugging me.
While annoyed with how hard it was to write, I was happy to finally get to this point. I had a lady I work with tell me once that it was hard for her husband to think about their baby being real while she was pregnant. He did all the things right when it came to her, taking care of her, pampering her while pregnant, but she knew he was doing those things for her, not the baby. It wasn't until that baby was born and her husband got to hold that baby in his arms that it became real to him. I'm sure it's not like this for everyone, but I liked that perspective she told me of and I wanted to kind of use it in my story. While Kenshin was happy about being a father, all of his concern was for Kaoru. The child wasn't 'real' to him yet. Meeting Kenji made it suddenly much too real, and that changed everything for him. I really liked that moment while daydreaming about it.
Coming up, a wedding! And a wedding night. XP Thanks so much for reading and reviewing (if you do) and hope to see you all soon in the next bundle of chapters. Happy Independence Day!