[FFML] [2nd draft][fanfic]Rememberance and Renewal Sidestory:Closure

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Disclaimer: All characters owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro, I'm only borrowing them, and
promise to return them in the same shape (generally) that I borrowed them in...

Remember and Renewal Sidestory: Closure.

I am reminded on days like today, of the training with my master. It was always
cool in the mountains, with the waterfalls creating a gentle roar and the music of birdsong
in my ears. The heat of the summer never quite seemed to reach the small cabin, always
sapped away by the rivers constant flow, and the gentle rains from above. The clash of
swords was the only reminder of human habitation at times, the melody of the steel
ringing out to accompany the birds.

It was nice, when the training was done, to go down by the stream, wash out the
dirty cloths, sooth the sore muscles, and clean the blood and scrapes. Some days, Hiko-
sensei would join me in my evening ritual as well. We would sit under the waterfall, the
world miles away from the drumming of the water and spend hours talking like two
people, not master or student, not even adult to child, but simply as people. He would tell
me stories of times past, of the history of our school, and of our responsibility. He would
drink sake, and teach me the things I wanted to know, and for a time, the weight of the
world would be removed from our shoulders...

*****

The day is warm, a hint of storm clouds in the distance making it cool enough to
be outside under the sun. Moving towards the shoji leading outside, I am reminded of my
days as a hittokiri. The days of blood and pain churn under my eyebrows, muted by time,
dulled by memory, but still lingering. They rise now and then, a snippet of conversation,
a name, a place. They bring me back to myself. Remind me what I fought for, what I left
my quiet training in the mountains for, and ultimately, the price I still must pay for, if not
in blood, then in penence for my crimes.

*****

The blade gleamed dull in the moonlight, the blood pooling below the tip like an
moving like an obscene red shadow, crawling towards me, it seemed to cry out for my
own lifeblood. I have become the manslayer, the one that had been operating for nearly
a year in Edo. Delivering Jinchuu.

Three times this week my blade had been brought to call, and six men had fallen,
split asunder like so much rice before the scythe. All were high-ranking diplomats. All
men with wives, with children, and lives. Now, all of those women, those children, will
be grieving, seeking my blood, crying out for an end to the killing, an end to the madness
that had consumed all of Japan... If I close my eyes, I can even see their shadows, voices
calling from a black void in my soul, getting louder and louder every day...

*****

Snapping back to the present, I notice her out of the corner of my eye. Again, she
is looking at me, watching me with the half smile she has worn since we were married six
months ago. It is a sign of contentment, and love, one of simple happiness and joy. It is
the physical sign that all of my fighting, all of the tears, the pain, were not for naught.
Quickly moving toward her, I smile gently, stroking the stomach that is already alive with
life, the air made all that much sweeter with their presence...

*****

The woman turns quickly, attempting to flee from the scene of carnage
she has just witnessed, attempting, perhaps, to live. Moving with the same grace, the
same quick reflexes that have killed so many politicians, military planners, and leaders,
the blade flashes, a beam of silver in the torchlight. It stops, and touches her neck, the
steel kissing her like an intimate lover. A breath escapes my mouth, then another. What
am I becoming? Killing innocents without remorse? Taking lives for the pleasure of it?
Choking off an inarticulate cry of rage, I turn to flee. From behind, I hear a gasp, then a
wet, fleshy gurgle. Turning, I see Toshi remove the blade from her chest, a red streamer
coating his face in a half mask of gore...

*****

Kaoru pants, her breathing labored and rough. The sound emanating from the
bedroom sends chills down my spine like no other sound can. Karou, hurt, because of
me! Crying in the oldest pain of all, because of me! For a moment, there is silence, then,
another cry. One full of life, of hope, of dreams. Megumi slides open the door a few
moments later, finally allowing me to see inside. Sitting on the futon, still wet from the
birth, Karou holds my child. Falling to the tatami, I can do nothing but smile as my
redemption cries into his mothers chest...

*****

I settle down for the night, it's been three weeks since the battle in the Forest of
Silence. Three weeks since Tomoe was killed by my own hand. The half healed wound
on my face throbs, as if the bond it represents will never fade. I will carry it for all time,
it seems. The road looms ahead, lit by nothing more than a sliver of a moon, and the
eerie darkness that creeps up to meet the darkness in my heart...

*****

So tired... it's been, what, three days? I don't know any more. My body feels
feverish, like lead had been poured in my veins; it burns out all the memories of my past,
purging me of anything but the eternal desire to see their faces again. Moving slowly, I
see a familiar bridge ahead of me. I hear a voice, crying out to me. Could it be her? It's
been so long, but the darkness inside is fading, so it must be. A final memory, of sakura,
and lighting bugs, and goodbyes, as I collapse in her arms... Then the darkness consumes
all...

*****

Sano received the letter, postmarked several times from places he had recently
been from a breathless runner sent by a local police koban. Sitting to read it, his face fell
with every paragraph. So, it was true. He'd heard rumors, but nothing solid. Now the
proof was in his hand. Carefully putting away the letter, Sano reached down in his pack,
pulling out the large bottle of sake, and unsealed the cap...

End Sidestory #1

Authors Notes: I wrote this primarily as a small addendum for those who may not have
watched the second set of Kenshin oavs. It contains spoilers, however, they are
necessary to move the main storyline forward, and honestly, it's something I've always
had floating around at the back of my mind. There will be other side stories as the story
progresses, but I want this to be the most... poignant of the sidestories.

I'd like to thank Ragnar from #fanfic for all his comments and help with this small
sidestory.

Jeremy Bennett
April 20, 2004

Main story archived at http://www.fanfiction.net/~bionic/