Chapter Nineteen: Watching
"Let me see…" Chisa trailed off, still thinking about Yuuta. "I would say that my tales are coming to a close. I feel satisfied that I have told our story as far as it needs to go without boring you with the monotony of those simple days when I was just happy, or worried, or taking care of my family."
"You mentioned that things had gotten worse with him the last several months, but never elaborated. Why do you think that was the case?" Kenshin nodded and asked.
"I believe he just needed more and more to feel satisfied by bloodshed. He distanced himself from me, from the children, from our home. I saw him less and when I did it was mostly at meals." A shadow seemed to come over her face. "When he came home, he was training, but he would also obsess over body counts; almost challenging himself to see what personal records he could break or how fast he could take down his targets."
"It's so hard to imagine him as a father..." Kaoru was thinking about how much she missed her own father.
"He was good at many things, but parenthood…simply wasn't one of them. He was never cruel to the children, though sometimes the way he would come home would scare them. This was mostly the case with Chiori, since she is older. He tried to teach Yuuta, our son, how to do jobs around the house or basic swordsmanship lessons. Our daughter is just a different story." Chisa sighed. "Anyway, in the past year, I would say Kurogasa came home half of the time. Last year, after coming home that way twice in a row, I decided we would begin staying with Akari when he was out on any contract. I told him to just come fetch us when things were better. I felt safer on many different levels."
"How old are your kids?" Yahiko, being young, must have been curious if he could relate to their ages.
"Our daughter Chiori is thirteen and our son Yuuta is six. So you're right in between their ages, I would guess." She smiled at him. "I was going to have Akari bring them over today, but I decided against it. This is a tough subject at the moment. Emotions are a bit raw for all of us in different ways."
Chisa looked away from the group. She could feel the sting of tears yet again. She was so sick of crying. Everyone recognised this and sat uncomfortably for a moment. When she regrouped, she looked at them all and smiled. "I hope you know how grateful I am to you all. I hope you can offer each other the same gratitude. You deserve each other." She was speaking to the group, but specifically looked at Kenshin and Kaoru, who were sitting near one another. Everyone nodded.
"Chisa-dono, this one hopes we have provided some form of comfort." Kenshin smiled, a hint of pity behind it.
"So what's next for you?" Sanosuke inquired.
"I have a few things to wrap up here in Tokyo, ashes to pick up and whatnot, but then I will go home. I'll see where I can go from here. My little family is what is important to me right now." Chisa smiled half-heartedly.
She looked behind Kenshin. "So beautiful…" Jin-e was sneering at her again. He reached his crushed right arm towards her face; it lolled at an unnatural angle. She turned her face away from him.
"I have the power over life and death." He continued.
"I suppose you don't." Chisa's voice dropped, then suddenly overcome with emotion she yelled, "Where were you when I really needed you?! Where were you those nights that a monster came home to my children?!"
Jin-e didn't respond.
Everyone looked at her; they assumed what she was going through at that moment, but obviously couldn't see what things she was seeing. She shook her head, realizing that she had been caught up by an apparition, a product of her strong emotions.
"I believe that is my sign to depart. I hope our paths cross again someday and I hope your own paths are marked by love, and safety, and things to be thankful for." She smiled. "I know I'll carry the past two days with me always."
Chisa stood, bowed to the four others (who were speechless at that moment), took one last look over Kenshin's shoulder at Jin-e, and walked out the gate.
Five years later in Tokyo:
It was hot summer days like this that made Kaoru miserable. She wanted nothing more than to sit quietly by herself, but her son Kenji was a clingy one. No matter the temperature, he insisted on being held. She supposed she was lucky that her son cared for her like he did, but sometimes she wished he was closer to his father.
Yahiko had taken on the role as the acting instructor of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu Kenjutsu Dojo, even at his young age. Kaoru was happy to provide guidance to him and the students but it gave her a great sense of pride that the school had come that far in her father's name.
Kenshin found himself observing the students many days and Yahiko's own progress as a swordsman. He didn't feel the need to supervise, but the idea that swordsmanship could be continued without violence was one that made him excited for the future.
Kenshin approached Kaoru and sat beside her and his son on the stoop, smiling. "How are you both on this day?"
Kenji scowled and pulled his father's hair. Kaoru did her best to delicately remove Kenshin's hair from Kenji's rather impressive grasp.
A voice came from outside the gate before they could answer. "Hello?"
Kenshin stood and walked in that direction. He was met by a rather gray-haired woman and a young man of about eleven. She was familiar to him but he couldn't immediately place the resemblance.
"Kenshin…" She smiled and put a head on the young man's head.
It occurred to him the moment he made eye contact with the boy.
"Chisa-dono…It is so nice to see you again." He bowed slightly and turned to her son. "And you are?"
"Kitagawa Yuuta. Nice to meet you." The boy smiled and returned with a bow.
The three of them stood for a few minutes and exchanged greetings. Chisa let Kenshin know that she had recently moved her family to Tokyo; she had remarried and her husband, a school teacher, found a better work opportunity there. She asked Kenshin how he had been, but before he could answer Kaoru came out to the front holding Kenji.
"Kenshin, who is it?" She asked before looking to see the answer.
Chisa saw Kaoru and Kenji and laughed. "Kenshin, I knew it. I knew as soon as I met you two that you were bound to end up…entangled." She laughed again. Kenji tilted his head.
Kaoru finally recognized their guest, not because of her face, but because of Yuuta's. His looks greatly favored his father and though his eyes were his father's as well, the expressions from them were his mother's.
After catching up with the two, she approached them with the true reason for her visit.
"I have a question for you both, and I want you to feel free to refuse." Chisa looked at Kaoru. "I am hopeful that you will accept my son as a student in your school."
Kenshin and Kaoru looked at each other. Kenshin knew the final answer was Kaoru's. There was a great pause. All knew there was history behind this request and the apprehension could be felt by all, including young Yuuta. Chisa continued her proposal. "We've discussed it. Yuuta knows his father's legacy and how it is one we have no interest in continuing. He would love to pursue swordsmanship, but your philosophy of a life-giving sword truly is an ideal way for us to live in repentance for the life of his father."
The silence continued for another moment. Kaoru looked Yuuta in the eyes. "And if I decide to take you on as a student, with Yahiko as your teacher, will you swear to dedicate yourself to this philosophy of katsujin-ken, swords that give life?"
The boy nodded and turned to his mother. She smiled and nodded back.
A few weeks later, Kenshin found himself watching Yahiko's students in their exercises. Although his opportunities to use the sakabato were fewer these days, he still felt a sense of pride for Kaoru and all that she built with her own swordsmanship and effort. He enjoyed the idea that the next generation may not have to think of swords as a means for killing only.
Occasionally though, he would watch young Yuuta and he would catch the boy watching him back; the son of a man who lost his humanity over the sight and smell of blood. He would catch a look in his eyes and couldn't help but see his father sometimes.
"Jin-e," Kenshin thought to himself, "you said before you died that you would be watching me from Hell. I sometimes wonder if this is what you meant."
Author's Note:
Dear Readers,
Thank you for making it to the end of The Other Side! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! With that in mind, I am considering adding bonus content at the request of those who are interested. If there is a part of Jin-e & Chisa's tale that you feel was not discussed or you would like to hear more about (the wedding, more stories with Kurogasa, etc.), leave me a review or message me letting me know what kind of content you would like to see and I'll try to make it happen! At any rate, I'd love to hear from you!
All my gratitude,
SomewhereLostInTranslation
