Last major revision: 08/24/98 Last modified: 02/01/99 [KFFDisc] That Which Lingers - Part 10 (revised) This is the revised draft of Part 10 my new story. Ha! Many thanks for the comments. I KNEW something wasn't quite working with Saitoh.... How about this version? ** CONTINUITY WARNING!!! ** This story does NOT follow the current prologue for my other story "Romancing the Wolf". I had to change a few things around to suit the current plot line a little better. I'm definitely going to write about Saitoh's and Tokio's courtship, but I haven't decided to make it an independent story or to make it conform to "That Which Lingers". I'll just have to wait and see. ^_^ This story is set in my own ALTERNATE REALITY universe which I've called "The Nightwitch Tales" -- think of it as Rurouni Kenshin mixed with various supernatural and paranormal elements. Other stories in this alternate reality are: "Night Visitor"; "All in the Family"; and "Romancing the Wolf". It takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc. After that, all bets are off. Elements of the Revenge story arc may show up in the story. WARNING: This story is "semi-dark" -- it has dark elements (violence, profanity, etc.) but it's not a darkfic! Actually, there's quite a bit of romance in it.... ^_- As always, C&C is greatly appreciated! ^_^ ====================================================================== THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra ====================================================================== Part 10: CONSOLATION ====================================================================== --------------- Disclaimer All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit. Original portion of the fiction included here is considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author. --------------- Text Conventions ( ) are character thoughts / / and // // represent various sorts of mental dialogue * ----- * ----- * marks the start/end of dreams or flashbacks [ ] denote visual or time notes ********************************************************************** [the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer] ----------------------------------- Tokio's eyes went wide with astonishment, but she managed to answer with an unbelievable amount of composure, given the circumstances. "Hajime... it's been nearly 15 years since we first met in Kyoto... and we've been married for over EIGHT of them...." Saitoh froze, then turned very slowly to look at his wife. Sano frantically thought, (Oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT!!! Not only does Kenshin look like he's totally out of it, but Saitoh... SAITOH, of all people... is losing it, too!) At that moment, Sano almost wished he WAS a chickenhead, like Saitoh kept calling him. That would give him a perfectly good excuse to run around in circles screaming in mindless panic. He had hoped and prayed for the day that he would see Saitoh Hajime REALLY shaken up. He got his wish... sort of. For a brief instant, Saitoh gave Tokio a blank, disbelieving stare, then he winced slightly and rubbed his forehead with his hand, as if trying to massage away a mild headache. It didn't look like much of a reaction, but to Sano and the others, those little gestures of discomfort were the equivalent of an ordinary person going into hysterics. (I think that's probably about as close as the cold-blooded bastard's ever going get to expressing REAL panic,) thought Sano. Saitoh suddenly shook his head sharply, dropped his hand to his side, and gazed steadily at Tokio with an expression that was a fairly close approximation to his usual cynical and faintly malicious demeanor. Misao's head kept swivelling back and forth between a nearly catatonic Kenshin sitting outside and Saitoh, who continued to stare at his wife with a faint frown on his face. As for Tokio, she seemed unruffled by her husband's narrow-eyed scrutiny. "Wha... wha... WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON!?!?" Misao flung up her hand and wailed. Even the usually inscrutable Aoshi looked dumbfounded. ----------------------------------- Tokio discretely guided her husband to a stool in the neighboring room, then stood in front of him, shielding Saitoh from view. While he had managed to regain most of his usual composure, Tokio knew better than anyone else just how unnerved he was by the whole incident. "Hajime?" she murmured, lightly resting a hand on his shoulder. He didn't answer immediately, then finally said, "Tokio." "Yes, I'm here." "What happened?" "I think you had an abrupt memory lapse." "How so?" With a rueful little smile, Tokio murmured, "You asked me why a respectable young lady like myself was calling you by your first name after only a few day's acquaintance." "I WHAT?" He blinked, then started to swear furiously under his breath. With her body blocking the view of casual observers, she gently caressed his face with her fingers. Saitoh reached up and touched her hand, his fingers lingering on hers for a brief instant. Gazing into his amber eyes and noting the faintly appalled expression in them, she said, "Are you all right now?" "I think so. Damn." Saitoh Hajime did not consider himself a fanciful person, but somehow he knew that there was no way he could possibly forget Tokio... his awareness of her seemed indelibly imprinted, not in the mind, but in some other, much more profound part of him. That part would always remember her.... No, he hadn't forgotten Tokio herself... but for an instant, he HAD forgotten so many details about his wife. (How could I have suddenly forgotten almost everything that's happened between us?) Saitoh muttered, "And I called you a 'respectable young lady'?" (That's going a LONG way back in the past....) When he had first met her, Saitoh HAD thought of Tokio as a typical, modest daughter of a wealthy, highly respected samurai family... but that was a decade and a half ago. He would never forget the day he first saw her, standing in the garden of her senile old uncle's home. Saitoh had only been 20 years old, but already a leader of the Shinsengumi... she was a 15 year old girl, charming but rather innocent and sheltered... or so it seemed at the time. He had learned better soon enough.... If the times had been different, he probably would have started courting her on the spot. But the country was at war and he was Shinsengumi... he had no time or energy to spare for anything except his duty. He saw her again on several occasions over the next year or so. And then there was that night 13 years ago when she had saved his life for the first time.... He uttered a sharp bark of laughter. "A young lady you might have been, but 'respectable'? Not nearly." With a faint gleam of amusement in her eyes, Tokio murmured, "My family is perfectly respectable. You said so yourself." "Until I found out what your grandmother and that pack of old crones...." "If you're referring to my esteemed, elderly female relatives...," she corrected mildly. "....pack of old crones were teaching you and your younger cousins." Saitoh snorted. What a shock THAT had been.... Tokio said primly, "It's only proper that a young lady be able to defend herself and the honor of her husband and family." "Defend herself, yes. But your family's standards of what constitutes 'self-defense' are extreme, to say the least." His wife placidly shrugged. Saitoh scowled. These things and so many others... where had nearly 15 years of his memories gone... if only for a brief instant? ----------------------------------- Misao stared out the door at the setting sun. "Aoshi-sama.... It was barely noon when this... vision... started...." "Yes." "And now the sun's almost completely set...." "I know," he replied quietly. "But... what we saw... it couldn't have taken Himura more than a few minutes to kill those men!" She stared anxiously at him. "Time's a highly subjective thing, Misao. You should know that by now." She eyed the partially unwrapped black sword with loathing. (We can't just leave it like that....) She took few steps toward the table. As she reached out, Aoshi grabbed her shoulder with the speed of a striking viper. "What are you doing?" "I'm going to wrap it up again. Maybe it'll prevent this... vision or illusion thing from happening again. Besides, I can't STAND looking at it any more." "But Misao, if you touch it...." Seeing the faint but distinct signs of concern on Aoshi's face, she gripped his hand with her good hand. "Don't worry, Aoshi-sama. I'll be really careful. The thing makes my skin crawl... but someone has to do it." He stared down at her and saw both the tightly controlled fear and the resolve on her face. He glanced at the blade. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, but he found the weapon undeniably repulsive. It seemed to drain every bit of the rapidly fading sunlight from the room.... Quietly, he said, "You only have one working hand. I'll help you." They both cautiously approached the table, almost as if the sword was a dangerous beast capable of turning on them in an instant. (Maybe it can...,) he thought uneasily. As they gingerly gathered up the edges of the blanket, Aoshi took the opportunity to take a good look at the sword hilt. "Take a look at this hilt ornament. You see the same animal design in the tsuba." Misao peered closely at the hilt, then at the guard, taking great care not to touch the weapon. "It... it looks like a dog in a weird pose, but I don't recognize it. Do you think it's some sort of family crest?" "Perhaps, perhaps not. It's a clue, at least." As they quickly shrouded the sword under multiple layers of blanket and tied the bundle tight, Misao muttered, "I... I suppose we could... remove the hilt and take a look at the sword's tang for any inscriptions." She looked absolutely nauseated by the idea of handling that ominous black sword so much. Aoshi didn't look at all happy with the idea, either. "That's the obvious thing to do, but we should discuss it with the others first." Misao glanced around the clinic. She was probably the only person who could see Tokio quietly talking to Saitoh in one of the clinic's back rooms. The ninja girl blinked in surprise as she watched Saitoh's wife gently brush her fingers against his face. The policeman's response seemed even more amazing to her. (He's actually... HOLDING... her hand.) It was only the most fleeting exchange of touches -- easily missed in the blink of an eye -- but Misao was astonished by the feelings of reassurance and intimacy those two simple gestures represented. (So little... but they can mean so much...,) the ninja girl mused. ----------------------------------- "Kenshin." He didn't seem to hear the soft female voice calling his name, but merely continued to stare at the slowly fading sunlight illuminating the yard. (Strange... the light... instead of fading, it's turning into a darker shade of red... just another shade of blood....) There was a brief pause, the rasping sound of a door sliding closed, then someone touched his shoulder. "Kenshin." He abruptly snapped out of his trance of painful memories. Kenshin slowly glanced up and said, "Kaoru-dono...." Pale, yet slightly flushed with fever, she stood in front of him with a look of intense concern on her face. She held out her hand to him. Unthinkingly, he reached out to take her hand, then froze as he realized that his own hand was covered in blood. (NO! I can't get her dirty....) She could see the flash of sorrow and horror in his violet eyes. Before he could pull away, Kaoru quickly knelt down on the porch and grasped his bloodied fingers, holding them tightly. "No, Kenshin... don't. It's all right. It's just a little blood.... There's nothing wrong with it. It's your own blood, Kenshin...." With her other hand, she reached out to touch the still bleeding scar on his face. He flinched away slightly from her fingers. "Kaoru-dono... I...," he whispered in tones of near despair. She bit her lip, then slowly said, "What we saw... was that... how you got this?" Her fingers lightly brushed along the scar running parallel to his jaw. He nodded tensely. "Then... it's blood honorably shed, isn't it? You did... what you did because you thought it was necessary and right. You didn't do it because you enjoyed it or for your own gain." He whispered, "Sometimes... I don't know what's worse... to kill with joy... or to kill without feeling...." Kaoru stared at him helplessly. Kenshin usually looked as if he was at most only in his early twenties... just a few years older than herself. But it was times like this when she really felt the difference in their ages... and experience. He had been through terrible things... there was so much about his life that she didn't know and that she couldn't understand. Losing her parents, struggling to keep the family dojo alive,... all these struggles seemed almost trivial when compared to Kenshin's battle to keep his own soul alive through unspeakable bloodshed and violence... and so much of it committed by his own hands. Kenshin gasped sharply as he glanced down and saw Kaoru's hands now covered in reddish smears. He tried to pull his hands free, but she clung to them with surprising determination. Unable to face the sight any longer, Kenshin finally turned his head away. Kaoru stared down at her bloodstained hands. She could feel his blood, warm and sticky on her fingers... and a gradual understanding began to grow within her. She could only guess at what his thoughts might be, but she abruptly realized that in those smears of blood, she saw something that he had forgotten... or long since dismissed as unimportant. "Kenshin.... Kenshin, please look at me." He resisted at first, then reluctantly glanced at her, bracing himself for what he might... what he probably would see.... Describing what he had done as the Hitokiri Battousai was one thing. But no matter how carefully chosen... no matter how eloquently spoken... words could never convey the true horror of those days and nights in Kyoto all those years ago. But now she had experienced it for herself through her own senses... witnessed his victims' fear with her own eyes... heard their dying screams and moans with her own ears... smelled the blood and entrails lying in the street.... "Kenshin... I can't be sure, but I'm guessing that when you see this blood on both our hands, you're probably thinking of stains that will never go away... sins that must be atoned for." His hands, slender yet incredibly strong, twitched in her grasp, but she swiftly continued speaking. "But when I see this blood, I see something else. You talk about the blood you shed... all the people you killed. But... but you never talk about the blood YOU lost... the times you were hurt.... What about your pain, Kenshin?" He stared at her with wide, violet eyes. "I.... Kaoru-dono...." She held up their clasped hands between them. "That's what this blood means to me. Your pain and only that. There's no need to hide it from me, so please don't... go... away again...." Before he could speak, she shook her head sharply. "I don't mean physically, Kenshin. I mean... in your heart... your mind... your soul.... I can see it. I can see you withdrawing... pulling away." A faint, accusatory tone crept into her voice. Kenshin hung his head, unable to counter her charges. They were perfectly true. "Don't leave us again.... Don't leave ME again.... I... I want us to be together...." she whispered in a slightly choked voice. He looked up and gave her a wistful, yet beautiful smile. "I won't, Kaoru-dono. And... so do I." ----------------------------------- (Go, Jo-chan!) Sano silently cheered as he watched Kaoru step outside to speak to Kenshin, closing the door behind her. Although no one inside the clinic could actually hear the quiet conversation between Kenshin and Kaoru, through some trick of the light, they could all SEE it. The silhouettes against the transluscent paper of the closed door were slightly blurred around the edges, but they still showed every little movement... every little touch... in almost uncanny detail, just like an elegant shadow puppet show. ----------------------------------- To Misao, the shadowy movements of Kenshin and Kaoru seemed to be eerily similar to what she saw going on between Saitoh and Tokio. And just like Saitoh and Tokio, the only physical contact between the two people on the porch was the fleeting touch of fingers and the holding of hands. She could only hear the blurred murmur of voices -- mostly Kaoru's -- but Misao didn't need the exact words. Somehow she understood what they were saying just from their body language. ....Kaoru extending her hand to Kenshin.... ....Kenshin tentatively reaching to take her hand.... ....his abrupt flinch and retreat.... ....Kaoru sinking to her knees and holding his hand.... ....Kaoru slowly touching his face.... ....Kenshin constantly looking away, staring downward,... pulling back from her.... ....Kaoru always reaching out to him, leaning forward,... drawing him back to her.... Finally... Kaoru holding up their clasped hands between them as the two of them leaned toward each other. And they stayed that way as the last of the sunlight vanished and the outlines of their shadows slowly faded. Misao sniffled and felt her throat tightening as she watched the silent conversation between Kenshin's and Kaoru's bodies -- a graceful, almost unbearably poignant dance. Hastily wiping at the tears in her eyes, she groped for the closest piece of cloth -- which happened to be the sleeve of Aoshi's bedrobe -- and loudly blew her nose. Realizing what she had done only after the fact, she turned bright red and stammered, "Aoshi-... Aoshi-sama...." He gazed at her with no particular expression on his face. But as she stared up into his eyes, Misao saw the imperfectly hidden signs of old pain and regrets... of lingering memories of his own personal darkness only just recently left behind. She wondered, (Have I been expecting the wrong thing from him? I've been trying to get Aoshi to blurt out his feelings for all the world to see... but what if he can't?) Her thoughts drifted to their dream conversation of the night before, then she put it together with she had just seen between Kenshin and Kaoru. (Is that really it? You somehow feel unworthy and besmirched, so you don't want to contaminate me? Is that why you refuse to let the slightest bit of caring and emotion show?) Something abruptly boiled over in Misao. Without any warning, she suddenly grabbed the collar of Aoshi's bedrobe and yanked his head down to her level. Hissing softly in his ear, she said, "Is that why you waited until you were nearly at death's door for me to tell me that you cared about me, huh?" "Misao...?" He gave her a faintly bewildered stare. Keeping her voice low, she snarled, "That's the ONLY reason you bothered to actually say it out loud to me, right? You didn't expect to survive, did you? You fully expected to bleed to death right on top of their graves, didn't you?" Aoshi eyed her with the same startled stare that a person might bestow upon a cute little rabbit suddenly gone rabid. "Well, you DID survive and you DID tell me and I'm not about to let you go crawling back behind your walls, got it?" Misao growled angrily into his ear. ----------------------------------- Throughout the entire conversation between Kenshin and Kaoru, the others had tensely watched the shadows moving on the paper walls, afraid to utter a sound. Now they all heaved a silent sigh of relief as Kenshin and Kaoru seemed to come to some sort of happy resolution. Sano glanced over at Misao whispering into Aoshi's ear and wondered at the nervous, almost hunted expression that suddenly appeared on the man's face. (What the hell is that girl telling him?) Then Sano thought he heard Saitoh utter a sharp laugh. He walked over to the back room and asked Tokio, "Is he okay?" She turned and gave him a slight smile. "I think things are under control for the moment." Sano gave Tokio a curious look as she calmly stood between Sano and her husband. Kenshin had talked about her strength of will and her determination. He didn't doubt that Kenshin was probably right. It made perfect sense on an intellectual level. Of course Saitoh wouldn't marry someone who couldn't take care of herself. But when he was actually looking at her... well, that was a completely different story. As a tall, wiry man with a lean, austere, positively cruel face, Saitoh LOOKED dangerous. Any sensible person would be wary of a person like that. On the other hand, Tokio was a slim woman of medium height, graceful and exceedingly beautiful in a quiet, understated way. She looked fragile, delicate,... and about as harmless as you could get. (A she-wolf? Nah, she looks more like a doe. Which makes you wonder how she manages to avoid getting all chewed up from living with Saitoh all these years.) And as for sleeping with that man.... (Ewww... I'm NOT even going to go there....) As Sano puzzled over Tokio, Saitoh stood up and gave the fighter an icy 'if-you-say-the-wrong-thing-I'll-kill-you-on-the-spot' sort of stare. Sano wasn't about to say a damn thing at the moment. This wasn't a joking matter. In fact, the current situation was about as unfunny as it could get. But before the fighter could say anything, there was a loud pounding on the outer gate of the clinic compound. Saitoh rudely brushed Sano out of the way and flung open the front door. He smirked slightly as he stared down at the two startled people still holding hands on the porch. Without the slightest remorse for interrupting the intimate moment between Kenshin and Kaoru, he stalked right between them -- forcing Kenshin to let go of Kaoru's hand -- on his way to the front gate. Sano snarled, "Why that insensitive, cold-hearted, unfeeling, heartless bastard...." His voice abruptly trailed off as he realized that Tokio was standing right next to him with a mildly curious look in her eyes and a gentle smile on her face. Sano felt his face going bright red with embarassment. In the meantime, Megumi quietly drifted to Kaoru's side and handed her a clean, damp cloth. Kaoru accepted it with a quick nod of thanks and gently began to wipe the blood from Kenshin's hand and cheek. ----------------------------------- "Inspector Fujita!" Saitoh curtly replied, "Yes?" The policeman waiting outside the gateway gasped, "Sir, an urgent message! I'm supposed to await your answer," and handed over a piece of paper. Saitoh's eyes narrowed as he read through the note. Refolding it with abrupt movements, he sharply asked the waiting officer, "Are you aware of the contents of this message?" "Not exactly, sir... but Headquarters is in a quiet uproar about it. It seems impossible, but with so many reports from unrelated sources...." "Any reports of similar incidents here in Tokyo?" "Here, sir? Not that I know of." "Very well, I'll be at headquarters at dawn. Arrange for a carriage and boat passage to Osaka." "Yes sir! Uh... for how many, sir?" Saitoh glanced back at the clinic. "Actually, make arrangements for a party of eight to ten. And post an officer outside." "Yes, sir!" As Saitoh returned to the clinic, Sano said, "Oy! What's with the sour face?" Saitoh gave him a particularly nasty look. "It seems that there certain... sightings... in Kyoto." "Sightings? What the hell do you mean by that?" By this time, Saitoh had attracted everyone's attention. The policeman smiled slowly. The sight made a chill go down Sano's spine. "It seems that there've been multiple, credible reports of Shinsengumi and Ishin Shishi forces suddenly appearing in the streets of Kyoto last night." Kenshin jerked his head up. "WHAT!?" "They seem to appear, then disappear without a trace. My superiors have apparently decided that they want me in Kyoto to personally investigate these... occurrences." Tokio walked up to her husband and murmured, "Hajime-san...." He glanced briefly at his wife and said flatly, "You, too." Tokio nodded obediently as Misao asked, "Why do they want YOU?" Kenshin abruptly stood up, his cheek still bleeding, although very slightly. "Misao, it's because he's one of the very few of the Shinsengumi still alive. The government isn't sure whether this is just some elaborate hoax or something... more mysterious." "You think it's related to what just happened to us?" Kaoru awkwardly rose to her feet, then staggered slightly. "Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin swiftly grabbed her to keep her from falling on her face. ----------------------------------- It seemed that the effort of trying to reach Kenshin and to bring him back had drained the last of Kaoru's strength. She didn't protest as he picked her up and put her in bed. He hovered anxiously nearby as Megumi checked Kaoru's temper, then gave Tokio a worried look. "What's wrong, Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asked. "Her fever's gone up. Not much," she hastily added, "but it is a bit worrisome. Really, she should have stayed in bed today. All this activity is just draining her strength unnecessarily." As Kaoru tossed her head fretfully on the pillow, Tokio pulled the ribbon from Kaoru's hair, then loosely braided the silky black strands to keep them out of the way. Kaoru mumbled her thanks and curled up under the covers. She was suddenly so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open and her mind seemed eerily disconnected from her aching body. ----------------------------------- As Kenshin and Megumi hastily helped Kaoru to bed, Misao and the others all turned to stare at Saitoh. He stared back at them, neither confirming or denying anything. There was another knock at the door. Recognizing the visitor, Misao was out the door in a flash. There was a quick exchange of words, then she returned holding a piece of paper. Aoshi frowned slightly, "Isn't that...?" "Yup." She hastily opened the message and started reading. They all watched in alarm as she went very, very pale. "Misao?" Aoshi asked sharply. "It's from Jiya...." She numbly handed it to Aoshi. Sano, Kenshin, and the others crowded around Aoshi, but couldn't decipher the coded message. He read it through once... then read it again... then read it yet another time. Finally, Sano snapped, "What does it say!?" Aoshi looked at Saitoh and answered in a soft whisper. "The ghosts of the dead are walking in Kyoto." ----------------------------------- (end of part 10) ********************************************************************** Next part: A return to the past and terrible losses. ^_^ -------------------------------------------- madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E http://www.geocities.com/~madamhydra/ http://members.aol.com/madamhydra/