This dream was different. Yuukiko knew that instinctively.
She felt as if she wasn't really a part of it, but a watcher in the wings.
The dream before.... She had died. No, she did not die. Kaoru died. She
was Kaoru. She was-
The vague dreams that had bothered her before suddenly sharpened into
concrete memories. The images, the feelings flooded her. She fell to her
knees, absorbing all of it, feeling the joy, the pain, the love. All of
it at once.
The tears came again. Before, she hadn't understood... The dreams had
been hazy and far off, night after night. Every time she had awakened,
she didn't have the whole picture because it faded before she could absorb
more than wisps of what had happened to her..
But this time... It was as if she was awake, conscious of everything.
The dreams of the past solidified into her mind. She tried to steady her
shaking legs, rising to look around at where she was.
A dojo? The dojo. The Kamiya Dojo. Yuukiko felt the wood of the wall
against her finger tips. It was all real....
Voices?
Yuukiko turned to walk out of the practice room, towards the conversation.
Was she in the past? She looked down at herself and noticed that she was
dressed in a kimono of sky blue. She felt at her face and hair. Kaoru's
clothing? Was she Kaoru now?
"Hello?" she called out hesitantly.
The others didn't look up at her. They continued to argue and tease
one another, speaking over each other without stopping. Like a family.
Yuukiko looked at each of their faces, tears filling her eyes.
All of them were here. Yahiko, sitting with Tsubame. Tae nearby with
a tray of tea. Megumi, leaning on Sanosuke. Her smiling face lifted to
his.
And Kenshin.... Kenshin was there sitting and laughing at their
jokes.
They all looked older than the last dream. Yahiko was much taller and
so was Tsubame. How much time had passed? Years? Yuukiko stood off, watching
them. These people had been Kaoru's friends. These people had loved her.
Yuukiko remembered everything.
She was Kaoru.
Kenshin.
She looked at the man she had loved so long ago. Lifetimes ago. He smiled
slightly at what Yahiko was saying. Yuukiko stepped forward, her hand automatically
reaching out to him. Kenshin...
His face suddenly changed, the soft smile fading as his eyes grew sad
for a second. He seemed to stare off to the spot where she stood.
"Ja... I'm off for a walk," he told them with a quiet smile.
"I'll be back."
"Sure, Kenshin," Yahiko replied, grabbing at the snacks that were left
for Kenshin and stuffing them in his mouth. "I'll watch these for you."
Tsubame playfully slapped at his hand as he reached for more.
"Thank you, Yahiko," he said with a slight smile as he walked outside.
Yuukiko followed him. No one could see her. Was she a ghost? Kaoru's
ghost? The answer to why she was dreaming was here. In this dream, she
was not Kaoru. No. Everything was becoming clear.
Kaoru and I have become one. Her memories have become my memories.
I am her. She is me. The past and the future are a circle. There is no
beginning or end. It is time for the promise to be fulfilled. The circle
will be closed....
Yuukiko followed behind him as Kenshin walked out of the dojo onto the
dirt road. He paused to buy some flowers from a street vender before continuing
on to a small cemetery. Daisies. Yuukiko loved daisies.
Kenshin stopped in front of a small marker. He put the flowers down,
bending down slowly.
"Kaoru. Hello. Time passes quickly, doesn't it?" he said in a hushed
voice. He smiled sadly. Yuukiko moved closer to him, needing to be closer
to him.
"Kenshin." Yuukiko's whisper seemed to float away. He couldn't hear
her anyway.
"I hope I'm not bothering you. Sometimes I just need to come to talk,
you know. Later on tonight, we're going to the Akabeko to celebrate Yahiko's
birthday. Kaoru, can you believe that he's already 16? I'm helping him
practice a bit, but he's teaching now. He's spending a lot of time with
Tsubame. Tsubame is working hard at the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu, too. She's
really good, Kaoru. You would be so proud of both of them.
"Megumi and Sanosuke are happy together, too. They're expecting again.
Can you believe it? The way those two started, I thought they would kill
each other before admit they were in love.
"Kaoru..." His voice grew strained with emotion. "I miss you. As time
goes, the pain gets softer, but I still miss you. But we are all still
together. All of us. Losing you still hurts, but it has made us all stronger.
I miss you so much sometimes... Sometimes I can feel you watching me. Maybe
it's just me. Maybe I need to think that. Maybe I need to think you're
still here with me."
"Kenshin. Our next lives will be happier. We will meet again." Yuukiko
whispered. Kenshin looked up suddenly, to where she stood.
"Kaoru?" He stepped towards her. His eyes filled with disbelief.
"Kenshin? You can see me?"
"Kaoru?" He looked so vulnerable. "Am I going crazy?"
"No. No... I just wanted to see you one more time. I wanted to see you
so much," Yuukiko said truthfully. She wanted to see him again. She loved
him. This feeling, this need, was love. Something clicked in her heart.
She recognized that this soul was the mate to hers. Always. Forever.
She moved closer to him, feeling an ache in her heart. In the past,
she had died. She had lost this man and left him alone. She wanted to ease
his pain. She wanted to give him hope.
"Kenshin. I promise you that we will meet again. Not in this life, but
we WILL meet again. Our souls will find one another. Please. Try
to be happy in this life. I will wait for you in the next one. I promise
you."
"Kaoru..."
"Be happy, Kenshin. Please be happy."
"I am. I will be. Kaoru..." He moved that last foot towards her, grabbing
her and holding her close. She was solid. Real. She hugged him back, savoring
the feeling of him in her arms. "I love you..."
"I love you, too. Forever, Kenshin." Her voice was becoming faint. She
looked at her hands. They were fading. This dream is ending, she
thought. Sadness crashed over her. It was time for her to leave him again.
"Good-bye Kenshin. Until the next time."
"Kaoru?" His voice broke saying her name. He stared at her as she began
to fade and flicker. Kaoru reappeared, dressed in strange clothing. A weird
sort of short kimono. Western clothing? Her long hair fell around her face
and down her back. She was beautiful. She smiled softly at him.
"Be happy, Kenshin. For me," Kaoru said as she faded totally. Then she
was gone.
Kenshin thought he heard "I love you" as he walked back home, but it
could have been the wind. He smiled at that. They will be together.
