Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki/Sony Entertainment Enterprises/Shueisha Jump! Comics. All original ideas and characters are mine to claim.
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Note: This is the end! Possible OOCness ahead; vague mention of mature situations and possible language issues. Otherwise, this is pretty tame. Please enjoy my last installment of this fic. And to all of you Muslim people out there who are reading this, Eid-ul-Fitr Mubarak!
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-Save Me From the Darkness-
-Epilogue--Into the Future-
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--Two Months Later: April 27th--
-Kenshin-
I was pacing, my sandals trying to wear holes into the rug.
"For Kami-sama's sake, Kenshin! Calm down!" Sanosuke yelled at me.
"How? How the hell am I supposed to calm down? I'm getting married in an hour! What if something goes wrong? What if she decides not to go through with it at the last minute? What if I collapse on the spot and--"
"SHUT UP! NOTHING IS GOING TO GO WRONG!"
"Maybe I can help," Akira said as he walked into the room, dressed in a traditional set of deep blue hakama, white gi, and silver-blue haori lined with white; Sanosuke, Soujiro, Aoshi, and Okita were wearing the same thing.
I was dressed in the same type of clothing as well; I also wore deep blue hakama, but I had a silver-white gi (with deep blue under lining), and a silver-blue haori lined with deep blue.
Akira looked at me, and I looked at him.
He smiled. "I was exactly like you on my wedding day, or have you forgotten?"
My eyes widened. He was right.
"Oh good, you didn't forget. If I remember correctly, a certain best man told me that morning to think about what the bride is going through instead--how nervous she might be, how ready she feels, how excited she is…"
I closed my eyes, and immediately Kaoru's smiling face came to mind. I felt myself calm down, and a smile spread across my face.
"See? It does work. Now come on, we have to get to the shrine."
-/-/-/-/-
-Kaoru-
I stared at myself in the full-length mirror.
Is that really me?
The fabric of my many-layered kimono was a pale bluish-silver with a wide white border lined with deep blue on the sleeves and hem, the obi a silver-white. Silver sakura petals showered the bottom near the border; it was sewn so that the kimono fit my form until it reached floor and formed a small train behind me.
My face was covered in the traditional white face paint, my lips tinted a bright reddish-pink, and my eyelids were decorated with some traditional grayish-black eyeshadow, while my eyes were lined with a little bit of eyeliner to bring out the blue in them.
Some of my hair was done in a stylish bun held with a pair of diamond-studded sticks decorated with some flowing silver ribbons, while the rest was left to hang down to my thighs, and some of my more stubborn locks and bangs framed my face.
Kamatari, you did an amazing job, I thought to myself.
I wiggled my tabi-clad toes in anticipation, and thought of my parents.
I wish Otou-san and Okaa-san were here.
Otou-san, would you be proud of me today? You said I made you proud the day you died; but after all of the mistakes I've made in these last several years, would you still be proud?
I wish you could give me a sign to let me know…
And then my thoughts turned to Kenshin.
Is he as nervous as I am? Will I be able to please him as his wife?
And then I blushed at what was most likely going to happen that night.
No Kaoru! Don't think about those kinds of things right now! Bad, bad Kaoru!
"Kaoru-chan, are you ready?" Misao asked coming into the room, dressed in a deep blue kimono with a border of white and a silver-blue obi. The kimono was dotted with white sakura petals and looked gorgeous.
Tae, Megumi, my friend Sayo, and Tomoe-san walked in after Misao, dressed identically in the same kimono as her. Megumi smiled and gasped, and Tae grinned really big at me, her brown eyes twinkling. Tomoe-san walked over to me, a serene smile on her face and her dark eyes glowing.
"You look beautiful Kaoru-chan," she said.
I blushed and wiggled my toes.
"Come on; we have to get to the shrine."
-/-/-/-/-
-Kenshin-
I was waiting at the altar, my best men standing in a line beside me.
Kaoru's maids-of-honor stood across from the guys, each holding a bouquet of white roses. We chose not to have both bridesmaids and groomsmen because it would be just too hard to choose who was what, and all of our friends were equally important to us. So everyone was either a maid-of-honor, or a best man, with the exceptions of Ayame and Suzume, who were the flower girls. Two of Kaoru's students, Yahiko and Yutaro, were chosen to be the ring bearers, and her only female student, Tsubame, was asked to play the violin for Kaoru's walk down the aisle.
I heard the distinct sound of a violin, and I looked to the door of the shrine. There stood Kaoru in all her ethereal glory, her arm resting in Gensai-sensei's arm, as he would be giving her away since he was her adoptive father.
She seemed to be floating as she walked toward me, and I felt myself smile. She caught my smile, and returned it back with one of her own. My heart was racing in anticipation; I knew the ceremony wouldn't last very long.
She reached the altar, and the priest said a few prayers, though I was vaguely aware of what was being said. I was only aware of her hand being held in mine, and how soft it felt compared to my own. The ceremony was nearly over; the priest passed me a small cup of sake, and I took a sip. He then passed it to Kaoru and she followed suit. The process repeated twice more, and then Yahiko and Yutaro stepped forward with the rings.
I took her ring and placed it on her finger, and she took mine and slid it onto my own finger.
My heart swelled as I looked at her, her eyes glowing and happy. I leaned forward, and gave her a long kiss; she returned it full on, and I felt myself drifting away as if in some kind of dream. Cheers surrounded us as I picked her up bridal style and carried her out to the car that had been arranged.
It was done. We were bound together, and neither of us objected.
The reception was small, and each of our friends said a few words in our honor. Gifts were received, and thank-yous were said. Soon it was over, and we were on our way to the hotel room that had been arranged for us.
Standing outside the door to our room, I unlocked the door, and swung it open to reveal a large and comfortable suite for the two of us. I smiled down at my bride, who smiled back up at me, and I picked her up bridal-style and carried her inside.
She giggled sweetly, and we eventually found ourselves dancing to something too sacred and beautiful to be described. I was only aware of how surreal she looked to me, and how her body hummed with life under my hands…
-/-/-/-/-
As we lay there under the covers that night, I couldn't help but hope that it had not all been a dream. Kaoru was slowly drifting to sleep in my embrace, her warmth providing me with a comfort I knew I would never be able to let go.
She smiled up at me quietly, her sapphire hues shimmering in the candlelight that surrounded us.
"Aishiteru," she whispered, and snuggled closer to me.
I leaned down and gave her a soft, passionate kiss. "Aishiteru."
That night I was the happiest man alive as I fell into a blissful sleep with my new wife.
-/-/-/-/-
--Nine and a Half Months Later…--
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"KENSHIN!!!"
"I'm right here, Kaoru! Right here! Keep going, your doing a great job!" I told my wife as she lay with sweat dripping down her forehead. I was holding her hand in a death grip with one hand, as I dabbed at her forehead with cold towel using my other hand.
The contractions had started early that February morning, but Kaoru had been in labor for almost 14 hours…until now that is.
"C'mon Kaoru-chan! Just a little more! Push! Keep pushing!!!" Megumi encouraged as she stood at the foot of the bed.
"I see the head; keep going, Kaoru! Just one more--and there it is!" she exclaimed joyously as the tender wails of a newborn baby filled the room.
"It's a boy!"
First I was shocked, then amazed, then elated. I leaned down and kissed Kaoru full on the mouth, unaware of the happy tears streaming down both our faces.
It felt so amazing; in a matter of moments I went from a father-to-be to an actual father.
"Kenshin, why don't you go and give everyone the good news while we get Kaoru cleaned up?" Megumi suggested.
I nodded, kissed Kaoru one last time, and left to go to the waiting room.
When they saw me come out, all of our friends crowded around, asking questions.
"Is she okay?"
"Is it a boy?"
"Is it a girl?"
"Are you okay?"
"Do you need to lie down?"
"Matte!" I said loudly enough for them to hear me over each other's voices.
"Yes, yes, no, yes, and yes."
They looked at me weirdly. "Huh?"
I took a deep breath and slowly clarified my answers.
"Kaoru is fine; they're getting her cleaned up and comfortable as we speak. She gave birth to a boy. I'm more than okay; I'm elated and still somewhat shocked. And yes, if I could get a nap right now I'd love it, but I think I'd really rather be with my son and wife for sometime."
My friends shot big grins my way, and I received a few pats on the back from the guys and hugs from the girls.
"Ken-san? You can see Kaoru and your son now. She's in Room 118," Megumi said, coming into the waiting area. "The rest of you have to wait."
I heard a few grumbles and sighs as I left.
Walking into her room, I was greeted by the sight of my wife lying peacefully asleep. I smiled; she deserved a good rest after so many uncomfortable nights in the duration of the past several months.
As I got closer to the bed, I noticed a small crib next to it. I went over to it and looked inside.
I gasped slightly, and my eyes widened. In the crib lay a baby wrapped in warm blankets, with red hair and closed eyes. Reaching in, I very gently and very carefully removed the child from the crib and held him in my arms, making sure to support his neck.
As I watched, very slowly his little eyes fluttered open. I smiled.
"You have your mother's eyes, little one," I whispered. "Though you ended up with my hair. That's fine."
The infant reached his hand up, and I held it gently between the fingers of my left hand. Immediately, he grabbed my index finger, and a small gurgle of joy emitted from his mouth.
I sat down next to Kaoru's bed in the nearby armchair, cradling my son while he held onto my finger still.
"We have to name him, y'know," Kaoru said, her voice floating to my ears in the comfortable silence of the room.
I looked up at her, her face tired but her eyes alight with love and joy and tenderness. Smiling at her, I lifted the baby so that I could see him better, remembering to support his neck. The next thing I knew, he was pulling quite hard on a lock of my own red hair.
"Itai!" I yelped when I felt the pain shoot through my scalp; Kaoru started giggling in the background.
"The both of you look so cute together," she said through her laughter.
I looked back at her with a grin, and gave our son to her so she could hold him.
"What do you think we should name him?" I asked.
She looked at our little redhead, and gave him her finger to hold in his tiny hand.
"Kenji…" she whispered.
"Kenji? 'Sacred sword'?" I asked, then looked at our son.
"Why not? Your name means 'Heart of Sword'. I think it fits quite well; don't you?" she explained, looking at me.
"Kenji…" I said to myself, letting it roll around in my head. "You're right, it does fit."
I picked up our son, and held him up so that we were face to face.
"Little one, your name is Kenji."
Kaoru giggled. "You make it look so ceremonious, Kenshin."
I looked at her. "Isn't it a kind-of ceremony? How else would people name their kids?"
"You killed it, Kenshin."
I laughed. "I did, didn't I?"
She nodded. "Now give me back my son; I want to introduce us to him."
"You mean our son," I clarified as I gave Kenji back to Kaoru.
"Yes that too."
She looked down at Kenji and smiled.
"Hello Kenji-kun. I'm your mother, Kaoru. And that," she said while turning to face me, "is the man who has made me the happiest person on the face of the Earth and the only other person I love the most besides you. Meet your father, Himura Kenshin. Welcome to our world, chibi-chan."
I smiled at the little pet name. "Chibi-chan" seemed to suit Kenji; he was really quite small. But then, it is also true that his parents are quite short themselves…
We spent that day and the next at the hospital, and on the third day, Kaoru came home to the dojo with little Kenji. Our friends were all there to greet us and the baby, and we spent the evening in laughter and smiles.
And yes, I did say the dojo earlier.
At the beginning of our marriage, Kaoru realized that it was time for her to return home to the house her father had left for her. And since we were married, wherever she moved I moved as well.
So we moved in, and Kaoru told me that her father's spirit seemed to have left or was at peace. The main reason he had probably stuck around was to see her married and happy with her life.
As Kaoru and I enjoyed our time with our friends on the day Kenji came home, and later as we put Kenji to bed, I realized too that I felt complete; I didn't need or really want anything else in my life. As long as I had my family and friends, I was at peace.
And Kaoru felt the same exact way.
--Owari--
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Ending Note:
Dear readers,
Wow. I can't believe it.
This is the first time I have actually managed to finish a fic.
Thank you to all of you for reading and reviewing. I would not have managed to finish this without all of your support.
Sometimes the readers wonder why the author wrote such a story. I've decided to give an explanation about my fic to those of you who wish to read it.
As I look back on it now, I don't remember exactly how I came up with this idea. I think it was because of all of the other books and pieces of literature and fanfictions that I was reading at the time. Pieces like charismatic angel's A New Beginning, Chiki's (now Chikifriend's) IN THE END WHEN THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND YOU and FOURTEEN DAYS, matthias208's Separate by Species, LittoGrrlStephie's Law Crazy and Curse of the Night, Kanzen ne Tsuki's The Bad Kid, Marie Nomad's To Be Free and Vixen1's Still Be Free… and few others that I can't remember right now. Not to mention Alice Walker's The Color Purple.
I grew to love angst and darkness, and I came to the realization that my own life has some angst: parents with high expectations, an unrequited love, efforts to fit in with the people around me when I feel so different because of my disability (I'm blind and it's really obvious).
And so, out popped this story in the form of stress relief and a large burst of clichéd creativity. Granted, I myself didn't expect it to become so dark with so many mentions of mature themes, but I love this story nonetheless. I cherish it and I will always hold on to it. It holds my dream, a dream of a love such as Kenshin and Kaoru's love, because I know that that's the kind of love I want in my future: a love as pure and as beautiful as life itself. I can only dream to receive such a love.
And so I leave you with the hope that you enjoyed this piece. Sure, it's not the best but nevertheless, I hope that it may have meant something special to you as well.
Finally, if you know someone who was in the same situation as Kaoru was in this fic, then please don't leave that person fighting on his or her own. And if they've given up, revive their fighting spirit; everyone deserves to be free of such problems. Call the police, Social Services, anything that will help them; let them know that you care and that you're worried and that they are loved by others. Don't leave them hanging in the dust.
My last request of all of you is to review this fic one last time. Click the pretty button!
Until next time because good-byes are too permanent,
--IceAngelKaoru (Signing out--2:49 AM PST, November 14, 2004)