Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Water on a Glass House ❯ Epilogue ( Chapter 9 )

Water on a Glass House
written by: ChiisaiLammy (chiisailammy at hotmai.com)
May, 2004
disclaimer: RK not mine. Look, I acknowledged this. So please don't sue. I make no money and will cry a lot.re: previous chapter (forgot to mention it in my lenghty author's notes: has anyone ever noticed how in the anime (less so in the manga), Aoshi was never an active participant in Meg's recapture? He just leans against the tree or talks Kanryuu about catching Megs. But following the anime might not be so good because Hannya was the one who treatened to poison the Kamiya Dojo, which made me think that it was a bit ooc.

Timeframe: Kenshin Kaden. (I know, not the most original timeframe to end, but here's the Glass House version to their reunion in Tokyo during Kenshin Kaden)

The dusting of rose across the sky looked as if the heavens had wanted to compete with the brilliant pink of the cherry blossoms. Across the horizon, the cherry branches swayed gently, dancing to the silent melodic rhythms of the spring winds. Their finger-branches stretched to the sky, inviting the world to participate in the beauty and celebration of spring.

Aoshi sat in the field and watched the sun sink into the blushing cherry blossom trees. He watched as the children play before him, running and laughing in the waning hours of the day. How he longed to have a moment of that carefree spirit. It was as if a flame of joy burned brightly after their sprinting forms, painting them as demons in long forgotten tales.

Misao, who was fast chasing after Yahiko, caught his stare and waved to him, grinning happily. A vivid pink colored her wind-roughened cheeks and made her youthful beauty rival the vermilion sky.

Aoshi nodded in acknowledgement and like a gazelle, she sprinted off after Yahiko.

As he watched her run, he began to feel a cold emptiness spread in his heart. He looked down at his hands and the calluses that marked them from the pads of his fingers to the fleshy soft pillows of his palms. He could not wish or scrub them away. These calluses were built from years of sword practice. He knew only the art of war. Nothing could change that.

He lifted his eyes and saw Kaoru and Misao collapse into a fit of giggles as they disappeared into the trees with a scowling Yahiko in tow.

Has it really been five years since he had decided to put away his swords?

His eyes traveled over to an approaching figure. Two matching innocent smiles marched towards him as Kenshin and his young son took a seat on the grass next to him.

"Shinomori-san. Lovely day, is it not?"

"Aa."

The men sat in silence, which was soon broken by Kenshin's chuckle. Kenji had crawled out of his father's grasp and began tugging on the other man's necktie.

"He is curious as to what it is."

Kenji took a fistful of material and stuffed it into his mouth. After catching Aoshi's slight frown, Kenji flashed the tall brooding man a
grin and pulled the soaked tie out of his mouth. With all the dramatic flair that was capable for a toddler, Kenji graciously handed the sodden tie back to its owner.

Aoshi's brows raised with curiosity as he gingerly repositioned his tie.

Kenji clapped his hands and crawled onto the other man's stomach. Taking the other man's face into his warm, sticky little ones, he said in a deadly serious tone, "Yummy."

"Looks like he's taken a liking to you." Kenshin said warmly.

"Unfortunately, I believe he has only taken a liking to my necktie."

"You should see what that child has done to my hair!" Aoshi turned to the approaching female voice. Takani Megumi sat herself down in front of Himura and tossed her hair behind her back and out of Kenji's troublesome reach. "That child of yours, Ken-san, I can tell already that he's going to be troublesome!"

Aoshi watched her, marveling at the halo of orange-gold sunlight against her hair. She looked the same as she did all those years ago, with her radiating skin quirky mouth. And while her hair waved from being repeatedly twisted up into a knot and her face bore no trace of artificial coloring, she looked no different from the girl he had met nearly six years ago. While she always carried with her a sense of poise and quiet grace, her age only seemed to compound her beauty. Time had been good to Takani Megumi, and Aoshi wondered if it were possible for anyone to look more womanly and self-assured.

Her eyes, he noticed immediately. Her eyes were different. They seemed to sparkle with a light that he had never before seen. He watched her, fascinated, and for once he didn't realize that he was staring.

Megumi raised her wide, brown eyes to meet his which caused him to clear his throat and shift his attention back to the curiously prodding child before him.

"He looks so much like you, it's uncanny, Ken-san." Megumi said as her eyes fell on the mop of auburn hair, who was currently trying in vain to reach Aoshi's hair.

Kenshin sighed and tilted his head sideways, "He has his mother's spirit. Her heart."

Just then, a wriggling Kenji slipped out of Aoshi's grasp and fell with a heavy thud onto his bottom. After precisely three seconds, the boy's face turned as red as his father's hair before he started bawling and screaming.

"Owie! Itai! Itai!" He thundered through his tears.

"Oh and he inherited her voice, too!" Megumi cried with a cringe as she jumped to hush the crying child.

Megumi and Aoshi's fingers intertwined as they both tried to reach for the boy. The young doctor's hands recoiled at the touch of his skin. Sitting back and tucking a strand of hair behind her ears, she pasted a polite smile on her face.

"The child will be fine." Kenshin said softly, to break the tension. Himura's sharp, discerning eyes told Aoshi that the other man had not missed a thing.

"It's been so long since I've been in contact with children. Over ten years, I believe since-" Aoshi said. His voice trailed off as he looked towards the tree-line where Misao had disappeared into.

From the distance a flock of birds took a mass exodus from the trees as a dangerous screech reverberated across the quiet countryside, "IIIIYYEE! YaaaaaHIKO!!!! I'll get you!"

"Sounds suspiciously like your tanooki wife, Ken-san." Megumi giggled as leaned back and propped herself up with her arms.

Kenji looked at the flying cloud of birds and clapped his hands in glee. "Burds! Burds!" He cried as he tugged on his father's kimono sleeve.

Alarmed and ever the peace-maker, Himura stood and smiled apologetically. "Will you watch Kenji for a bit? I'll be back."

Aoshi nodded, "Of course."

They sat in silence, save for an interval of single-word phrases from Kenji as he toddled back and forth between the two attentive adults.

"Burds!" Kenji cried. "Burds!"

Megumi smiled and gave his stomach a gentle prod. "They're pretty aren't they, Kenji?"

Kenji nodded and ran to bury his head against Aoshi's arm, reaching for the tie.

Aoshi sighed in exasperation as the child shoved the end of his necktie into his mouth once again and looked out thoughtfully at the now-empty sky.

Megumi smiled and gently pried the tie from the boy's mouth. From her proximity, he could smell the soft lingering scent of her perfumed soap. Just the scent of her was dizzingly intoxicating and Aoshi tried to distract himself by concentrating on the colors of the sky.

As she extricated the tie from Kenji's mouth, she flashed Aoshi a small, apologetic smile. She handed the end of the tie back to him. "Sorry about your tie."

He looked at the oddly shaped dark spot and returned her gaze, "I'm sure it can still be revived."

She smiled, "Is that a joke, Shinomori-san?"

"Aa."

Kenji tugged on Megumi's hair pulled her face to meet his. "Burds! Burds gone!"

"They flew away, Kenji." She said as she smoothed his hair down as she pulled him into her lap.

Kenji frowned, seemingly not accepting this. "Burd!"

Aoshi picked up a discarded piece of lining paper from the afternoon's bento and began to idly fold the square of paper.

He felt a warmth spread over him as he watched the doctor point to various objects in the field. "What's that, Kenji?"

Here. He could stay in this moment forever. And for once in fifteen years, he could feel the restlessness drain from his body.

Shinomori, you are getting old.

He lowered his gaze and exhaled. Perhaps he was getting old. At almost thirty-one, he was no longer the young, fire-fueled demon of a warrior consumed with revenge or the brilliant prodigy child that claimed the title of Okashira.

He raised his eyes to find Megumi watching him. Caught staring, she quickly turned her face.

His life was a regimented exercise of control. He had to fight hard with himself in order to push down the war-driven bloodlust that had existed in the darkest recesses of his heart. Looking at the dark haired woman in front of him, with her shining, mournful eyes, he knew that she was the mirror he had for so many years chosen to ignore.

She, too, had lived her days driving back the darkness that threatened to consume her: the dark shadow of sins and blood that could never be washed off or forgotten. She understood it, all of it. She understood what it meant to regret.

"Kenji." Aoshi called softly. Two heads turned towards his soft voice as he produced his project. "Your bird."

Resting on the palm of his hand was a small white paper crane. Kenji's eyes lit up as his chubby child fingers reached anxiously for the gift.

Megumi's hand flew to her lips as the rays of recognition dawned in her eyes. Kenji turned around and displayed his precious prize.

"Burd!" He cried gleefully.

She brushed her fingertips against the wing of the bird and raised her eyes to meet Aoshi's. A silent understanding passed between them. The world, for that singular moment, seemed to fade away like a midnight dream, leaving the two of them in the uncertain world memories.

"Say thank you, Kenji." Megumi croaked as soon as she found her voice. Her fingers seemed to unconsciously fly to her wrists and the scars that had almost completely faded on her skin.

Still caught by her eyes, Aoshi replied almost automatically, "I used to make them for Misao all the time."

She smiled and inched her hand towards his. Grasping his fingers in her palm, she gave them a quick squeeze before breaking the gaze.

She turned her attention back to Kenji, swiping a stray tear from her eyes. "Pretty, huh, Kenji?"

"I wanted to, but I couldn't give you my word then." He started. "And it was not because you didn't need reliance on another man, but because needed to I blind myself to your suffering."

She looked up, "I understood what you meant. You were a different person then-and in a way, so was I."

"Are you happy now?"

Taken aback by his uncharacteristic frankness, she paused and alowed a small smile spread across her lips. With a nod, she replied, "Yes. I'm very happy now."

"So this," He leaned over and indicted to the tears in her eyes, "Is this joy? Hope?"

She shook her head and pressed together tightly to fight back her tears. "No. It's not. It's a new beginning."

He knew. He knew that from that moment, he would string her dewdrop tears like precious jewels in his memory. He had learned, through their separate journeys that scars were not badges of strength or weakness.

He ran his thumb over the soft bumps on her thin wrist.

No, they were kana, they were script and verse. And the scars on their body told the heartbreaking story of their survival.

He smiled at her, a genuine smile, bright in reflection of a woman strong enough to walk with him into the darkest place of his life. He smiled in celebration of the woman who looked at his demon heart and did not flinch.

If you don't tell me where Battousai is, I'll kill you.

Her gentle voice invaded his reverie. "And are you, Shinomori-san? Are you happy?" She asked.

Aoshi looked at the child in front of him, the embodiment of all of the Battousai's dreams and redemption, his final journey home.

"I am--at peace."

With nothing left to say, they sat side by side in silence and watched the sun burn out in the evening sky.

end

A/N: A thank you to all my loyal readers. We need some closure! Thank you to those who commented! fanfiction.net home