The rain fell steadily. It was almost hypnotic. Yuukiko stared out
at the busy street from Aya's room above her restaurant. Aya's family had
lived in Tokyo for generations. One of Misao and Aoshi's children had taken
Makimachi as his last name and settled there long ago, Aya explained.
"So you're really related to yourself?" Yuukiko asked with a
smile.
"Weird, huh?" Aya grinned. "Rui can trace his ancestry back, too.
He's related to some important Meiji policeman named Fujita Gorou.
Fujita's wife was named Tokio.
"Anyway, he just kept dreaming about us. I kept dreaming about him.
Then we met. Boom! Magic...," Aya sighed soulfully, then grinned at her
best friend. When Rui came into her life, she became whole. She wanted that
for Yuukiko. "Yuukiko, your last name is Sagara. According to my
great-great-grandmother's diary, Sagara Sanosuke was Kenshin's best
friend."
"Your great-great-grandmother's diary?" Yuukiko asked, her attention
focused on the scene outside. There was something nagging at her, but she
couldn't place it.
"Yes. She was the wife of Misao's son. The one who moved here to
start our restaurant. She was the eldest daughter of Myoujin Yahiko and
Tsubame. She kept a diary.... Yuukiko?" The look on Yuukiko's face stopped
her mid explanation.
"Myoujin... Yahiko?" Yuukiko paled at the name.
"Yuukiko?" Aya grabbed her as Yuukiko began to sway. "Are you
okay?"
"Yes. I-I just remembered something..." Yuukiko sat down beside Aya
on her bed. More memories had suddenly flashed in her mind. It was like
looking into a bright light, shocking her for a second. That name suddenly
triggered something in her.
"What is it?" Aya asked, looking very concerned. Yuukiko looked
like she was about to faint. And Yuukiko never fainted.
"Yahiko was the name of Kaoru's student. He must have been 10 or 11
when I- when Kaoru was killed. Myoujin.... That must have been his last
name."
"Then I'm related to him, too.... Hey, you know what? There are
still Myoujins in Tokyo."
"There are?"
"Yeah. They're really distant relatives, but they own a dojo near
here."
"A dojo? Masaka..." Yuukiko closed her eyes and pictured the
dojo in her dream. Could it still be around? Tokyo had changed so much
in the over 140 years since the time those memories had taken place....
"Yuuki-chan? Do you want to go see the dojo? I can get Rui and we can
walk there from here," Aya offered.
"No. Maybe later.... It's too soon." A voice inside her urged her to
go. But she wanted to do it alone. She needed to see for herself, without
anyone there with her.The memories were much too private for an audience,
no matter who they were.
"Okay...." They lapsed into silence, listening to the rain fall.
"My family has been here for a long time, Aya-chan," Yuukiko said,
breaking the silence. "I checked when I began having the dreams, but the
names didn't click till last night. Even then, I didn't believe
everything. I am related to Sagara Sanosuke...."
"Who did he marry?"
"One of the first women doctors around. Her name was Megumi. Takani
Megumi. Those people were in my dream last night.... I saw them all. And
they were all happy."
"Were they? That's good."
They were all happy. Everyone but Kenshin.
"Aya. I better head back," she said, stretching as she got off the
bed.
"Demo,.... It's still raining." She looked worriedly out to the
streets. The sky was dark gray and it didn't look like it was going to end
anytime soon.
"I'm a big girl, Aya," she returned with a smile, "I have to go
now, though. I don't want to have to go home in the dark."
"I can walk with you to the station," Aya offered, her face still
full of concern.
"Nah. I'll be fine. Don't worry." I have to go see the dojo.
"Be careful."
"Yes, mama," Yuukiko teased as she got her belongings together.
"And don't stay out in the rain," Aya teased back.
"Got it! Ja ne, Aya-chan. Mata Ashita!"
"Ja." Aya hugged her fiercely. "Everything will work out,
Yuuki-chan."
"I know," she whispered.
******
Yuukiko walked in the rain. The drops were oddly cooling on her
heated skin. Something was going to happen. She didn't know which
direction to go. The dojo was near, but nothing was the same anymore. She
closed her eyes and spun around until something inside her told her to stop
and walk. And she did.
Something so strong was calling her, she couldn't stop herself.
The time is here, the voice insisted. The time is here....
The last piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. She walked, as if in a
trance. It was time.
Kenshin.
()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()
Kakushin was waiting. Something was going to happen. He didn't
know what it was, but he felt something tugging at his soul. The dreams,
the truth... All of it was falling into place. It was time. He
wanted her to be here. He needed her.
How can I feel like this?, he asked himself. How can I love
someone from a dream?
Because you need her. You need her more than anything else in
the world. Without her, you are less of a person. You need her. She
promised she would come to you.
Leaning back against the front wall of the dojo, he stared at the people
rushing by, the rain forcing them to seek shelter. Turning to look up at
the weeping skies, he ran a hand through his long, wet hair, thinking about
what his grandfather had said.
Kenshin lived for a long time. He never married or seemed interested
in any women. His grandfather was told that he had lost someone very
important to him as young man. Kakushin knew he had lost the other half
of his soul.
She promised me we would meet again. She promised. Kaoru.
Come back to me. Come back to me. If you are real, come back to me.
Please... Kakushin stared up at the rain and prayed.
()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()
Yuukiko didn't know why she was doing this. Wandering in the rain without
direction, she just followed her gut. Something was calling her.
The old dojo might not even have any of the answers that she was looking
for, but for some reason she had a feeling that it was an integral part of
the puzzle. It had to have some clue to what was going on. The dojo was
the site of so many memories.
Kenshin....
She hoped that he had been happy. She felt a twinge of jealousy at the
thought of another woman entering his life after her, but she stamped it
down. It was petty to feel like that. Kaoru had died. She should be
happy for him if he found someone else. She loved him and hoped that he
had happiness. Kenshin deserved happiness.
Yuukiko closed her eyes, trying to picture him. The last dream, he
stood in the cemetery, his long hair tied back. His violet eyes gleaming
with hope, with love. She could feel him so near. She wanted him to be
there with her.
Until last night, the dreams invoked only impressions of emotions.
She didn't understand what was happening to her. All the images were
scrambled. It wasn't until last night when so much of it became clear.
It wasn't until Aya confirmed so many things that she could believe. And
she believed.
Please. Help me. Let me find him. I need him. Let me find
him. Please....
"Oh!" She exclaimed, bumping into someone. She tried to get her
balance back, reached out to steady herself. She grabbed at a pair of
strong arms. Yuukiko opened her eyes and stared up into a pair of violet
ones. Violet?
"Sumimasen," she apologized. Or at least, she tried to. She
couldn't seem to find her voice.
He reached out to touch her face, pushing her wet locks away. His own
red locks were soaked. His eyes were burning with emotion. With
recognition. With love.
"You're here," he said rawly. "You're really here. I'm not dreaming...."
He moved forward, pulling her close. The rain mixed with their tears.
She reached up to touch his face. Real. He was real.
"I love you," he whispered, moving forward to kiss her. He kissed
her like Kenshin never had a chance to. His lips moved over hers,
worshipping... Welcoming... Loving....
If rain continued to fall as they held each other, they did not
notice. If anyone stopped and stared at the sight of two people in out in
public in such a passionate embrace, they did not notice. The couple did
not care. This was a kiss they had waited lifetimes for.
"Are you two going to do that all night?" Kakushin's grandfather
queried from the gates of the dojo. It wasn't every day he found his only
grandson kissing a girl in public.... Very passionately.... Heck, steam was
evaporating off of the pair.
The couple didn't seem to hear him. So he just stood and waited.
They had to stop sometime. Breathing was essential to life.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat. Still no reaction. Finally, he tapped
his grandson on the shoulder. "You two will catch cold if you don't stop
soon...."
Kakushin pulled away, but Yuukiko pulled him back to her. She
needed to be close to him again after so long. She had been praying. He
was here. He was real. She needed to reassure herself.
"Ahem," his grandfather repeated. They were soaking wet. The rain
began to lighten, then finally stopped. The couple slowly pulled away from
each other, their breath ragged, but they still didn't turn to the elderly
kenjitsu master. They only had eyes for each other.
"Hello. I'm Myoujin Kakushin," he introduced himself, pushing his
wet hair away from his face. "Have I told you yet that I love you?"
"Yes," She smiled at him. "And that's really good because I love
you, too," Yuukiko said breathlessly. Her face was flushed from the kiss.
She smiled up at him. He was here. "I'm Sagara Yuukiko."