From: conmoon@cruzio.com (Connie) Hello everyone. It has been a long time since I have written to this list. After next week I will be able to be more active and write more. I can't believe that my first year in college will be done after next week! Anyway here is something that I wrote in 20 min. so it is rough and maybe confusing. It was supposed to be a songfic, but it didn't really turn out the way I had planned. It kind of grew and I had no idea where it would end. Please let me know what you think since I am a little nervous about this one. Disclaimer: All characters that you recognize don't belong to me. Those that you don't know come from my strange mind. The song comes from Janet Jackson. Never Alone by Connie The sun was shinning down on the group of people who stood solemnly in front of the grave. A woman with black hair walked up to the grave and placed the burning incense she held in her hand inn front of it. Tears fell from her eyes as she prayed. She reached out and touched the stone that held the ashes of her loved one. A gentle breeze blew her hair into her face and she looked up at the sun and smiled. {There are times when I look above and beyond There are times when I feel your love around me baby I'll never forget my baby} A young man walked up and touched the woman on her shoulder. "Okaa-san, daijoubu?" The woman turned and looked into a pair of concerned violet eyes. "Hai, daijoubu Hiroshi-chan." She looked back at the stone. "It just seemed for a moment there that your father was touching me on the face. " {I'll never forget you} "I am sure it was Tou-san. He always said that he would watch over us." Hiroshi said as he helped his mother up. "Yes he did promise that." {There are times when I look above and beyond There are times when I feel your love around me baby I'll never forget my baby} "He always seems to be with me, watching over me." She says as her mind returned to those times in the past when she'd felt that he was with her. There was the time when her youngest son, Shinta was born. It had been 4 months after her husband had been killed and the pain was still sharp. She didn't know how she had made it through those 4 months, but she knew her children had a lot to do with it. While she was giving to Shinta she had felt him there with her. She could hear him encouraging her and when Shinta was finally born, she felt him kiss her on the lips. Then at Yahiko's wedding he was there with her, watching as the boy who was a son to both of them got married. At the twins 10th birthday he was there at their celebration. Many times throughout the ten years since her husband death, she had thought him to be with her. {Dream about us together again baby What I want us together again baby I know we'll be together again cause} Hiroshi and his mother reached the group waiting for them. A tall woman stepped forward, "Are you all right Kaoru-chan?" "I am fine Megumi." Megumi looked at her friend skeptically. Kaoru always seemed a little sad after these visits. Not that she blamed her, it effected everyone, but all the same, she wanted to be sure that her friend did not fall into the same pit of despair like she had after Kenshin died. That had been a hard time ten years ago. No one was sure if Kaoru would survive the death of her husband. For the first couple of days afterwards it had been touch and go. Kaoru had not talked to anyone. A day before his funeral she had disappeared. Everyone had been frantic looking for her, she had shone up later that night with tears in her eyes. When she had seen her children though, she had smiled, a true genuine smile. She had hugged them and told them that everything would be fine. {Everywhere I go Every smile I see I know you are there Smilin' back at me Dancin' in moonlight I know you are free 'Cause I can see your star Shinin' down on me} When Megumi had asked Kaoru what had happened she had told her that she had went to the place where Kenshin had died. She had stood there for a while and cried. She said she had looked up into the sky and saw Kenshin there, smiling down at her. He had told her not to worry, that he would always protect her and her family. Then he had disappeared and a shooting star had appeared where she had seen him. This had given her hope and she had decided that she would not look back, she would only look forward to the future with her children. Megumi had been a little worried when she heard this, but since Kaoru did seem better she had not let it bother her. But always after these visits to Ken-san's grave, she would seem to slip back into the way she was after his death. She always worried about her, but she knew that Kaoru would be fine. "Well, are you ready to go Jou-chan?" "Hai." She looked around, "Where are Mayoko and Makoto?" "They went ahead, they said they had something special for you back home." Her youngest son Shinta responded. She smiled at him, then we better hurry up and go see what it is." She laughed as she watched her son take off running. "Mou, what a lot of energy he has, I don't know how I ever keep up with him!" "I think he inherited Tou-chan's 'God-like' speed." Hiroshi said as he watched his brother fall on the grass in front of them. "He also inherited Kaoru's reflexes!" Yahiko said as he took off running. "Why you!" Kaoru cried as she ran after him, waving her bokken. "Some things never change." Sano said as he followed after them with Megumi and Hiroshi. {Always been a true angel to me Now above I can't wait for you to wrap your wings around me baby Wrap them around me baby} As Kaoru reached the gates of the dojo she stopped. Yahiko had already entered ahead of her and the others were behind her. She knew this would probably be the only moment she would have to herself for the rest of the day. They never liked to leave her alone on this day, and she knew that someone would be coming soon to get her. She closed her eyes, "It has been hard living these ten years without you Kenshin. I miss you so much anata. I know you would be proud of are children, Hiroshi is going to college, he wants to become a lawyer, the twins are in school and Mayoko wants to be a teacher, and Makoto a policeman, working with the special forces. You probably never expected one of your kids would be working for Saitou. He enjoys that fact though." She laughed out loud. "Shinta wants to be a swordsman like you, and Hiko thinks he will be. Shinta wants to be the 15th master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and wants to use his skill to help those in need. He is so much like you. Everything that you fought and bleed for his happening. I wish you were here to see it." She opened her eyes and walked into the dojo where her youngest children were waiting. Sometimes hear you whisperin' No more pain No worries will you ever see now baby I'm so happy for my baby As the sun set on the anniversary of the day her husband had died Kaoru smiled. Everything was fine, she had done more than she thought she would be able to do. Yahiko was married and was expecting a second child, and her children were all alive and happy in the world their father had created. "You would be proud of what you have accomplished anata" she whispered. A gentle wind caressed her cheek and she smiled. He was with her, and he always would be. She knew he was happy and so was she. Owari Notes: I wanted this to be story about Kaoru survivng without Kenshin, since it seems like most stories have it the other way around. I don't think I accomplished that though. I am really not satisfied with how this turned out. I might rewrite it, or leave it as is, I don't know! I am thinking of writting more like what happened to Kenshin and expanding on her life after his death. I am not sure though. Also I got the names for Kaoru and Kenshin's kids from some of my Japanese friends. Please tell me what you think of the story. If you don't like it, don't worry, my friend Cassie will probably hurt me more than you could, especially since she knows where I live! CJ Proud Memeber of the Ryoko Forever Fan Club ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Did you know each week we feature a ONElist story? http://www.onelist.com How has ONElist changed your life? Please share your story.