Epilogue

Five Year Later

Long, silken strands of raven hair danced gracefully in the wind, along with short, auburn locks. Two small hands interlock and bodies move in a circle, faster and faster. Two heads tilt back as the feel the force pull them away, and they smile. The wonderful sound of laughter fills the air as they finally release and fall to the ground in a thump. The two children giggle fiercely, then rise again to repeat their play.

Kenshin watches his two children, his wonderful babies, as they do what they do best. Tug at his heart-strings. Kiri looked so much like her mother, though she had inherited his flaming red hair. She had her temperament also. Rough and tumble, very much into what would traditionally thought as male-dominated activities. There was been two years of calm and order has someone found its way back to Japan, meaning more traditional roles for men and women, alike. But, his Kiri would never settle for that. Where Kaoru did at least dress traditionally and know how to behave in public, Kiri would have no part in it. To get her in a kimono was a battle, which was often lost. A dogi suited her better. She even took her mother's old sword and cut her hair short. Kaoru was upset for days, Kenshin remembered. Then, his face grew a little more serious as he looked upon his younger daughter.

She was the complete opposite of Kiri. From her birth, she had the solemn calmness about her. Though she was only going on five, she had a sophistication that was much beyond her years. She did not look like Kaoru, or Kenshin. In fact, she reminded him of a person he knew many years ago. She soft, yet fox-like appearance, her demeanor...it was so familiar. But it wasn't possible, he thought as he called his children in for dinner.

Kaoru helped Ayame fix her Kimono in the mirror as she heard her husband's soft voice belt out his dinner chime. The young girl was quickly approaching womanhood. In Kaoru's day, she would have already been married and perhaps expecting her first child, but times were quite different now. Girls were becoming less and less traditional, but that made Ayame quite the rare gem, not that she was not already precious. Kaoru did all she could to make her life as comfortable as possible and Ayame did her best to be a good adopted daughter. She almost never brought up the death of her sister. She pretends she doesn't remember, but both Kaoru and Kenshin know better. They were just thankful she did not hate them and had accepted living in their home. They visited Suzume's grave once every year, on the anniversay of her death. Kenshin planted a cherry tree in the front of there home in memory of her and her sacrifice, a way of showing she would never be forgotten.

"You're all set,"the older woman said, putting a finishing ribbon in Ayame's hair. She smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror, bowed to Kaoru and dismissed herself. Kaoru could not help but know the child was hiding something deep within her, just as she was.

Kaoru walked into the dining area and sat down to eat with her family. She smiled at her husband, her daughters and Ayame, then knelt down to bless the food. She lowered her head, closed her head and inhaled deeply, holding it in, the moment lingering in time. She was moved to a different time, a different place, five years earlier. This happened to her very often, so often she wanted to escape. But she could not. The images before her silently haunted her.

A dark haired woman with a blue sash across her shoulders seemed to put her arms around Suzume as she fell into Kaoru's arms. Her eyes grew wide as the woman seemed to fade away as the life of the child in the arms was shattered and lost. Though she had never seen the woman, she knew who it was, whose spirit it was. The last thing to materialize were her eyes. Those eyes stayed on her, stayed with her, never left her.

"Mama?" questioned her youngest daughter, her blue eyes peering at her. Kaoru managed a smile and motioned towards Kenshin and he started serving the meal. Ayame rose to get the sake off the fire and serve it to her adoptive parents. As the warm, clear liquid fell into the tiny cup, she remember the time before she saw Kenshin again, when she thought her life to be simple. She was ashamed she still longed for that life again, despite how she loved her family. She was forever in emotional limbo, but she had to stay strong. Kenshin had found his answer, his way to repent, but she had not. She figured staying away from her katana was the best way to mend herself and her heart.

But the inward struggle never ended. Her heart never mended. Her mind always clouded with visions and thoughts. Her soul agonized by her past.

Broken.

The End