Epilogue
The first thing Kaoru was aware of was humming. Someone was humming. Humming a song that her mother used to sing. Second was a hand running through her hair. Third was that she was sore all over.
Opening her eyes, Kaoru took a moment to take stock of her situation. She was in a hospital. Yahiko was currently curled into her side, humming and running a hand through her hair in a strange reversal of what she had done over the past few weeks. Kenshin was to one side, his face relaxed in relief. Sanosuke was sitting by her other side, arms crossed and seemingly asleep. Over Sano's shoulder was Megumi, looking at the various instruments near Kaoru's bed. Misao and Aoshi were watching her intently from the foot of her bed and Saitou was in a corner of the room, smoking.
"Kaoru-chan!" Misao was the first to vocalize that Kaoru was awake.
"Kaoru?" Yahiko mumbled, looking up. Sitting up, he gazed down at her sternly. "Busu! What took you so long to wake up?"
"Jou-chan, it's about time!"
Frankly, Kaoru was too busy trying to make sense of a few things.
"Yahiko," she mumbled, grogginess making it difficult to talk. "Shouldn't you be worse off than me?" Reaching up a bandaged hand, she ran it through his hair before he grasped it tightly and gently.
"After you damn near drained your soul to purify that damn sword?" he scoffed. "I don't think so."
"What?" Suffice to say, Kaoru was confused. She turned to Megumi again. "I thought you didn't leave your house?"
With a kitsune-like smile, she only said, "Special circumstances, tanuki. Special circumstances. "
"What?" Kaoru shifted in her bed, trying to sit up and only found her strength severely lacking.
"You should not try to move, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin reached over, not quite touching. "You have been through a lot, you have."
"What?" She was starting to sound like a broken record.
"Weasel, start explaining things, " Saitou commanded from the corner
It was rather amusing to see Misao twitch and squirm at the name "Itachi". Finally, Aoshi put a hand on her shoulder.
Calming, Misao started explaining things with interruptions and clarifications from Kenshin, Saitou, and Megumi.
Evidently, when Saitou had not only discovered the location of the sword that Shishio so wanted, he had also found the most likely candidate to have Shishio's lover's reincarnation. He followed her until he realized that she (Shishio) was heading for the shrine. Saitou had confronted her, but since he'd had no experience with the ghostly, he was woefully unprepared for what Shishiou - a demon - could do.
"I rather enjoyed the chance to face him, " was all Saitou would say in the matter.
Of course, since the Oniwabanshu had specters keeping an eye on the Kamiya siblings, once they reached the shrine, Misao and Aoshi had hurried over.
"But you were physically there," Kaoru stated. "So was Kenshin. Aren't you spirits? Or guardians?"
"We can physically manifest for brief periods, though it should only be done in the most dire of circumstances, " Aoshi explained. "It takes a great deal of energy, but we also have more power for doing things in the physical world when we manifest. "
"Like kicking Shishio's ass! " Misao exclaimed.
Kaoru provided a flat stare. "As I recall, Shishio got into the room where the sword was. Are you sure you were kicking his ass?"
"Once that sword was purified, they sure did," Yahiko retorted, his eyes aglitter. "That had to be the best battle to see! Spirits appearing and throwing everything they had at that woman-turned Shishio, it was like some supernatural samurai epic!"
Kaoru didn't dignify that with a response. Until her brain kicked in. "Wait, you saw that? Last I saw, you weren't in the best of places to be seeing anything, let alone follow me into the temple for a fight!"
"We were thrown out of the temple, we were," Kenshin offered. "When you purified the sword, this one and the others were pushed out of the temple."
"And with the power of Shishio locked in the sword gone, the brat here didn't burn the fudo off. He was quite the cheerleader during that last bit. " Misao beamed. "Now who's telling this story? "
So Kenshin, Misao, and Aoshi kicked butt while Saitou watched and Tomoe kept her brother safe. Meanwhile, what was happening to her? Evidently the cost of purification was severe draining of her soul. To dangerous levels.
"You should have seen Himura fretting over you. "
"Couldn't he use his mark on me to do something?"
"This one could not."
"Not without draining you further. To use the mark, a spirit has to draw on some of the person's own strength, " Megumi explained. "So imagine my surprise when Misao showed up and dragged me from my home to a temple. Poor Sanosuke was once more running around like a rooster with his head cut off. "
Misao and Megumi grinned. "Sano," Kaoru asked. "What happened?"
Said rooster turned beat red and violently shook his head. "No way! You're not hearing that story from me!"
"Suffice to say that it was yet another situation in the shower, " Megumi stated with a big grin. "He was worried about you. He arrived at the shrine when they were taking you and Yahiko away in the ambulance, but we haven't gotten there yet in the story. "
As it turned out, Megumi, because she was to be a doctor and because she was such a powerful spirit, had some talents she hadn't known about. With Misao and Aoshi coaching her, she was able to stabilize Kaoru's soul and set it into a healing slumber. Similarly, with Shishio dead, Megumi was also able to help repair the damage Shishio's mark had made on Yahiko's soul, with the help of Tomoe.
"Where is Tomoe?" Kaoru asked
"She's still at the temple," Sanosuke replied. "Evidently that battle had quite a few fireworks. The police were bugging her with questions while the EMTs were looking at you and the brat here-"
"Hey!"
"-and the firefighters were putting out a few small blazes that were around the temple. She has a lot to fix and take care of."
Kaoru groaned. "Of course, the police will have questions..."
"Nope, " Misao smiled. "I possessed the lead investigator, and once Saitou saw how to do it, he took over my right-hand man. Together, we cooked up a nice, believable story. Nobody will be asking questions about this incident, you'll be fine. "
Somehow, the thought of Saitou and Misao working together to make a story didn't seem comforting.
"Tomoe-san has asked that you and Yahiko visit the temple again. She thinks she might be able to help you and Yahiko better control your abilities, " Aoshi added.
"Really?" Kaoru gasped. Oh, that would be on huge weight off her shoulders if that was true!
"Yup," her brother agreed. "She was talking about it with me before the ambulance arrived."
"You can hear Aoshi-san?"
"No, but I've been around all these ghosts long enough to start getting a basic idea of what they're saying."
"I'm so proud of you." Yahiko turned bright red and sputtered.
"Getting back to the story," Misao interjected.
While all these people were buzzing around the temple, including the head priest who pulled Tomoe off to discuss what had really happened, Sanosuke arrived, huffing and puffing from all those damnable steps, demanding where the Kamiya kids were. Misao and Saitou had both had a great deal of fun questioning him while Kaoru and Yahiko were taken to the hospital with Megumi and Kenshin to be treated. And of course, Sanosuke didn't know that the two officers were really spirits.
Both Kaoru and Yahiko couldn't help laughing.
"It's a lie!" Sano cried out, only guessing at what was being talked about.
Laughter finally dying down, she asked, "So what happens now?"
"You rest, " Megumi said firmly. "You and Yahiko both need it. "
"Your life goes back to normal, " Aoshi replied. "You go back to school. Graduate. Move on. Yukishiro-san will help you with your gift."
"Will we ever see you guys again?" Despite knowing these people for such a short time, they had all done so much to help her and her brother so much. It would feel wrong if they just...left.
Misao smiled brightly. "You think I'd miss the girl talks you, Megumi, and I had? Hell no! I at least, will drop by again. Of course, Aoshi-sama will come as well. " Aoshi didn't reply.
"You'll get in trouble if I don't investigate things, " Saitou said flatly.
"This one will not be going anywhere." Kenshin smiled. "With Shishio destroyed, this one has no shrine to guard. So this one will do as he did in life, he will. Protect those within his sight."
"He's already started," grinned Yahiko. "When I woke up, he marked me. Now neither of us have to worry about nasty demons doing anything to us!"
Aoshi turned. "A nurse is going to come in. "
All conversation ceased as said nurse came in. "Ah, Kamiya-san, you're awake," she said. "Let's see how those burns are yes? And you, Kamiya-kun, need to be in your own room."
Life did indeed go back to normal after that. Kaoru was able to graduate and get a job to put her brother through college. Yahiko in turn, once he got a job, put Kaoru through college to help her run a dojo in town. Tomoe was an immense help with their gifts, and both Kamiya children ended up helping what ghosts they could find (assuming, of course, they asked politely.) Yahiko eventually married his high school sweetheart and moved into Megumi's house, after Sanosuke left to travel the world. Kaoru and her husband remained in what they called Kenshin's house, even though the rurouni was never seen within the walls.
Both Kamiya children led full, happy lives. Yahiko was only briefly saddened when Kaoru passed on. They had both trained their children and grandchildren that had the gift, and to see Kaoru, arguably the best teacher, pass on, was sad. But Yahiko couldn't be sad for long. She would constantly check up on him, the heavy feeling of kendo armor, as well as their children. And she was with Kenshin. Yahiko doubted that Kaoru could be any happier.
Owari
End
Author's Notes: Please remember that Kaoru is one of our favorites. We completely agree that she and Kenshin go together and, if you squint, they are at the end. Remember, there is the whole Kaoru's-alive-Kenshin's-not difference. Plus, it gives them time to get to know each other and grow up. Kaoru's just a senior in high school, and while some couples may be able to marry that young and last, we prefer people being a smidge older. And Kenshin's from a whole different time period with differeng values and the like. Could a man from Meiji really be able to handle a modern woman? He needs some time to adjust to the now as opposed to when he died. Neither of them are "ready" for a relationship like that. Besides, Kaoru's children and grandchildren need to know she's around from time to time.
This story was a real stretch for us. We don't really do "modern" fics, preferring magic and fantasy settings. We tried to balance those "with" gifts and those "without", such as how Sano and Megumi interacted, even though Sano couldn't see and hear her. There was also making sure that you, as the reader, understood that what Kaoru and Yahiko do is not normal, and that people look at them funny.
We also stretched our creative muscles in trying to shorten gaps in time. So often in stories and fanfics, the momumental happens in the span of a few days. People don't fall in love that fast. You can't deal with stuff that fast. It takes time. Similarly, Kenshin and Shishio didn't wake up and say "Good, I need to get to work." They needed time to gather their strength, remember a few things, research on what the current time period was like, etc. All we saw of Kenshin in the first chapter was a streak of red hair floating across Kaoru's vision. And, while we wanted a slower pace, we didn't want to go at a snail's pace with angst and brooding filling chapter upon chapter.
So our experiment has been completed. As we've said before, something feels off when we read through this. Something's missing, but we can't place what. . But it is a fun story to read and there are parts that just make us smile. (Heated Stones conversation, Kaoru/Yahiko in the hospital/infirmary, that last battle.) Now about what some of you have said:
nebulia: Glad you liked our take on Saitou. He's a hard nut to crack.
FantasyAddict: Yep, Kaoru had a good balance of things to help them win in the end. That was something that kinda hit Image at the keyboard and we ran with it. We're happy you liked the results.
iluvchocs: Ah yes, those bloody snap-your-fingers-now-you-have-ultimate-power-and-know-how-to-use-it types. Ick. We avoid those wherever we can. That's why Kaoru struggled through the temple to even find the damn sword. That's why Tomoe tutored her and Yahiko to help the control their gifts. They've been flying blind for years and have come up with some coping mechanisms, but things have definately improved with proper training.
IchikoKitsuneKoumori: We don't know if Saitou had unfinished business or not. Does he want to watch over Tokio for a while? Or any kids if they have any? What about all around curiosity on how this would finish? Maybe he's putting off going into the light for a few minutes. But this is Saitou. He won't tell us anything.
sestrilla: See above notes on Kenshin/Kaoru. We're glad you're enjoying.
TrisakAminawn: Charring is dead skin? Oops. We do try to be accurate in any fic we write, but we obviously missed the ball on that one... The funny thing is we have a vampire fic with details about the blood condition and we were complitmented on how our medical justifications made sense. Ah well, live and learn.
Hehehe, glad you liked Kaoru/Yahiko sibling moments. We're fond of those ourselves. Yahiko is a character that often seems overlooked in fanfiction. He's part of the nuclear family unit that Kenshin/Kaoru/Yahiko have going on, and as such, is an essential part of any interaction between Kenshin and Kaoru. But. He's. Never. There. Sigh. Is he a brat? Yes. The same way Sano is tactless. That doesn't mean that they are there for comical relief only, it means that they have characters worth exploring, since they're a little different than the average brat/jerk. We somewhat regret not having Sano in the story more, especially since he's pure human with no special talents. But he wasn't speaking to us. Sorry. We got on our soapbox again...
Ah, thank you for the grammar points. Those always help. We try and write what "sounds" right, given that we've read a LOT of books over the years, but every so often, the speech pattern we grew up around infiltrates and grammar check doesn't catch it. Thank you again. We like learning and growing, so it's not annoying when someone points out mistakes that we can fix.
We're glad you liked the scene with Saitou. As we've said, he's a hard one to understand. And yes, Kenshin interacts anyway he can. Besides, he's a character that is so very strong in stories, it was kinda nice to see him a little more muted this time around. He's still very essentail to the story, but now he's not the only one saving the world.
Ah, you figured out it was Yumi? Nice! Well...her descendant/incarnation. How Saitou found her is something he refuses to tell us. We've poked him, prodded him, and offered him a fight with Battousai, but he won't tell us how. And yes, several weeks is going by. Like we said above, people needed time to deal.
You like our characterizatins? Good. We're doing something right.
emichan, Reignashii, Mala Valah: We're glad you've enjoyed our little story. We hope this explains everything left and that there aren't any more loose ends. (We can't see any, at any rate...)