From: The Fox Here it is! I hope it's not too late! Domo arigatou to all the editors!!! MERRY XMAS MINNA!!!! **************************************** * (*(~~(*(~~ (*(~~~)*)~~)*)~~)*) * * (*( ~ A Meiji Christmas Song ~ )*) * * (*(~~(*(~~~(*(~*~)*)~~~)*)~~*) * * (*~*~(*(~ by the fox ~)*)~*~*~*) * * (*~*~(*( a xmas rkfic )*)~~*~*) * * (*(~~(*(~~~(*(~~)*)~~~)*)~~)*) * **************************************** * Song in the background: Chesnuts Roasting in the Open Fire . Yahiko was deep asleep, hugging loosely the new pair of tabis Tsubame has made for him. Kenshin smiled at the sight, laying the boy on the futon. If sake & Kaoru didn't mix, sake & Yahiko was at least interesting. Kenshin was the last one awake to close the dojo that night, feeling a bit lightheaded after all the drinks that Sanosuke has managed to get inside him. The rooster was asleep in his room too, Kaoru and Megumi were sharing Kaoru's room, and the girls were tucked into bed a long while ago. He is alone in the dojo, now. The beautiful stars called his attention and he sat out on the porch, deciding that a last cup of tea would be nice, and would make the Christmas night seem longer. So beautiful... such peace, and contentment... If only the world would stay this way forever... "Battousai." Kenshin jumped to his feet with lightning swiftness, his hand going for his sakaba, but no threat came into view. His sharp eyes scanned the darkness and he cursed silently before tensing, unable to feel the menace... "Battousai. Here." Kenshin almost fainted when he turned his head to see Shishio sipping his forgotten tea with amusement, with Yumi nudging his shoulder from just behind him. They were dressed like the last time he had seen then: Yumi with her startling red kimono, Shishio bandaged with that violet yukata on. But he could see the twinkling stars behind them...and through them. "SHISHIO??..." Kenshin touched own forehead. "Uhh...I knew I shouldn't have had that last drink with Sano..." "You're not dreaming, Battousai." Shishio relaxed, finished the tea and smiled at him. "I'm dead, yes, but I've come to talk to you." "Why?" asks Kenshin, his voice faltering slightly "I don't want more fights!! I don't want more pain...!" "I didn't come to fight. I'm here to give you some advice." "Be grateful Shishio-sama interceded for you, Battousai," came Yumi's voice, full of warning. "If he hadn't, then maybe you would really be in trouble." "Oroo? I'm confused ...aren't you dead?" asked Kenshin, bewildered and pale, sitting in front of them, "I'd assumed..." "Yes I'm dead. But I have a debt to you, Battousai. So, I'm here to pay it. You will have three visitors tonight. If you don't take their advice, that is your choice. But I'm here to give you a last chance at happiness..." "Oroo...Demo..." Kenshin looked at them, noticing for the first time the silvery chain joining their hands. " You are..." "Chained? Yes. You must believe we were condemned, but we still have a chance. This is, my senpai, the new job we have: to advise, to help. Because we would have been lost: but your pity for us had gave us a second chance. That, and because we had loved so much..." "Shishio..." Kenshin began, impressed by the joy and love displayed in their faces, "I'm happy for you two de gozaru, but you really don't owe me anything..." "No, you're wrong, sempai." Shishio produced from his violet kimono a broken clock, and a flower. "We owe our hope to you. And that is why we are returned to give it to you. I almost lost my beloved because of my blindness: don't let that happen to you. We are here to give you the choice of Hope ... and peace. Merry Christmas, Battousai...Kenshin..." Kenshin watched the couple disappear, walking into the night. He can see the stars behind them, and, as they turned to flash him a brief smile, they were gone. " Shishio..." Kenshin stumbles to his room, and sits in the futon, unable to stop his hands from trembling. Then everything blurred and he smiled to himself as he felt tears in his eyes, and gave a soft sigh of joy. "So they are finally happy..." "Shinta." Kenshin raised his head. Just before him, his proud figure loosely leaned in the door and shadowed by the darkness, Hiko Seijuroo waited. "SHISHOU?" "Get up, baka deshi. We have a lot to do tonight." "Demo Shishou..." Kenshin gasped, his eyes wide. "You're here, really?" "You've always been stupid, but you've outdone yourself with that one." "Demo..." Hiko hit the red head with his fist. Hard. "Move your ass, baka deshi." "Move, where?" The wall seemed to disappear into fog. Suddenly, the two were walking down a street in a poor town, the rain and dirty snow revealing the cold winter, but not affecting the two of them. "Where we are, Shishou?" "The place isn't familiar to you, Kenshin? " "No...but I have the strangest sense of..." "SHINTA!!" Kenshin spun around, surprised. A tiny child, no more than four years old, was running through the mud as fast as his little legs could carry him. The boy had a carrot in his arms, and the voice that called to him from the door of the snowcovered cabin made him run even faster. A black haired woman was waiting in the door; She was tiny and frail-looking, but her large, warm brown eyes showed love and happiness. When she hugged her child, little Shinta replied with all his strength. "Shin-chan," said the okaasan, her eyes full of relief "Where have you been? Otoosan and I were worried..." Shinta lift the big carrot up towards his mother, smiling widely, as she scooped him off his feet in an embrace. As he hugged back, his dirty hands has left smudges on her face. "I was looking for my gift...Happy Xmas, mommy!!" he panted, proudly, "I was searching in the fields of the daimyo ... now we will have rice with carrot!!" "Oh, Shin-chan..." his mother giggled, taking the heavy carrot from him carefully. Her eyes were wet, but she smiled lovingly to her child, "It's a lovely gift...I'll prepare the dinner for you and your father immediately." "Can I help? Can I help?!!" "Hai de gozaru, Shin-chan..." The rest of the scene was blurred. Hiko turned to his pupil, smiling sadly, "Your mother was a beautiful woman, Kenshin." Kenshin didn't answer, because he was crying softly, hair covering his face. "I'd forgotten how charming you were when you were a baby." Hiko added, turning to confront Kenshin. His pupil stood apart, his face still hidden. The background changed, blurring like a ghostly design. "We're not done yet, baka deshi." Kenshin said nothing. The next landscape was the mountain where they had lived together for so many years. A boy, no more than nine years old, was practicing with a sword, late into the night. His hands were bloodied, and the little figure was panting, but he kept on and on. It was snowing softly, and the boy started to tremble. Something in his eyes spoke of a fever, and weariness. Kenshin's eyes, still wet, darted a glance at his shishou, who watched the scene with grim interest. "Hm. I remember that Xmas, baka deshi." "I do too," whispered Kenshin "I collapsed from fever...and exhaustion." The boy, as if hearing Kenshin's words, passed out atop the hard rocks. For a second, he just lay there, on the ground... And then a tall white-robed figure appeared at his side in the darkness... ... Lifted the tiny body in his arms... ... Enveloped the trembling body in the white cloak he is wearing... ...Caressed the fevered forehead... ... And walked to the little cabin in the forest, singing a soothing lullaby in a strange, deep voice... Kenshin looked at his master, unable to believe his eyes. Hiko just kept looking at the stars. The landscape blurred again. And Kenshin, who was starting to smile a little, paled. Tomoe. Tomoe running in the snow, hurt and disheveled, her hand clutching a tanto... The tanto flying... Hurting... The slash... Blood. So much blood in the snow.... "Don't be ..sad ...Don't ..cry, anata ..." Mercifully, the images fade. Kenshin disobeyed his master. He was crying. "Look at me, baka deshi." "Why...why are you forcing me to see all this again...?" Kenshin's voice trembled, then dropped to a whisper "My dreams and nightmares aren't enough...?" "Loot at me, DAMMIT!!" Kenshin raised his head, a sudden gleam in his eyes, but the shine died when he felt Hiko embracing him powerfully, a callused hand caressing his red hair. "Shis... hou..." "Shhh.... Shut up, baka deshi. We are forcing you to see all this because you have to make the most important decision of your life. You have to remember your past, to be able to choose your future. And don't you dare mess this one up, Kenshin. Just think of your ties in the past you're reliving. Think about why you're crying. Remember...and learn, my son..." "Shishou..." Kenshin was disfounded. He had never embraced Hiko in his entire life. His voice, muffled against the larger man's chest, was questioning. "Oroo...I don't understand..." " You will, Kenshin" Hiko released him, and then begins to slowly drift away into the fog. "Or I will kick your stupid ass." " Oroo...?" He was on the Kamiya Dojo porch again. He sat, eyes wide and still watery, and blinked a few times. He almost jumped out of his skin when a strong hand grasped him firmly by his ponytail. "Che, Kenshin, hurry up! We don't have all night!" "SANO?! Aren't you sleeping? Are you a ghost? Are you a spirit too? Are you a chicken?" *WHAM* "Don't get fresh, Kenshin!" "Itaii..." "We have a lot of present Xmas to witness, so hurry up," Sano grinned, and then pulled on Kenshin's hair to make him move. "I only accepted this job because I want to see the creepy cop singing Jingle Bells." "Demo...Sano..." The scene flashed and then formed into a garden. The Aoiya Garden. Misao was blindfolded, almost tripping in the snow, and trying to catch her fellow Oniwanbanshuus, as Okina and Aoshi were sipping hot tea and watching them play. When Misao caught Omasu and was tricked into mistaking her for Okon, the entire group laughed. Then, she pouted, as they sang out about her penalty. "It's unfair!" complained Misao "I'm the Okashira here, and no one can overrule the boss." She paused, and thought for a while, then walked to the place where Aoshi was seated peacefully. "But even the Okashira can be punished by her master, so..." she grinned, and, kneeling gracefully, pleaded. "Aoshi-sama, would you take my punishment into your own hands?" The former Okashira looked at the girl with the same cold stare. "Damn iceberg." Sano growled "It's Xmas and what does he do? Be the same jerk...he is going to make her cry." "Wait." Kenshin's voice was interested and encouraging. Then, something caused a slight change in Aoshi - was it Kenshin's wish, or Misao's pleading eyes? Whatever it was, Aoshi suddenly raise a hand and give a hard pull to the long braid over Misao's shoulder. "AAAHHH!! Aoshi-sama!!" she pouted. "You're MEAN!!" "Don't distract me again, Misao." came the calm response, as Aoshi hid his face behind the teacup. "Or I'll rip your braid next time". Was there a little playful smile in those cold eyes? Imagination or not, Misao was laughing when she went back to playing. "Maybe next year they will be playing together..." Kenshin smiled. "Or, maybe the next year Misao will be too pregnant to play..." Sano laughed. "Sanooo..." "Heheheh..." The next stop was a small, poor town. The sound of songs, and children's laughter attracted them to a little dojo - closed right now, and covered with snow. Kenshin's brow furrowed in puzzlement, because he didn't recognize anyone. A group of children were playing with snowballs, singing as they did. It was a large group, and of course a lot of them means a lot of confusion. A group of parents sat in a corner, talking quietly, as if planning something. At that moment, a snowball escaped from the group of children and hits Sano squarely in the face, to Kenshin's amusement. "Che...damn cute devils..." Sano wasn't to be the only one hit however. Another snowball connected with the head of a passerby as he watched the game with interest. When an " Araaa...." was heard, Kenshin's eyebrows lifted. It was Soujirou!! "Are you hurt, boy?" the parents had hurried over to where the boy lay in the snow. He was still blinking, with little stars around his head. "Sumimasen, rurouni-san!!" chorused the children. A little girl busied herself with the bag Soujirou was carrying, and others helpedim to get up, brushing the snow off of him diligently. "Daijobu..." Soujirou smiles "It's alright..." "Are you sure, young man? That snowball hit you quite hard." The voice of a old lady observed softly, as she reached out to smooth Soujirou's hair. "What are you doing, boy, walking alone in the snow? Your family must be worried..." The old woman's voice was soothing and gentle. She was tiny, really tiny, and as with all the village people, looked modest and simple: but her eyes were marvelous - warm and brown, full of compassion and love, the eyes of somebody truely happy. Soujirou looks impressed by those eyes. Suddenly, Kenshin had the sensation that these eyes looked a lot like Yumi's eyes when she and Shishio had visited him earlier that night. So happy...so in love. "Yuka," came another voice, as an old gentleman call to her, waving, from the group. "The children are hungry, so am I !! Hurry up!!" he laughed then, being glomped by half of the children. Soujirou giggled and looked to the ancient woman, who was still looking at him intently. "Well, in fact, I don't have a family, Yuka-san...hahaha." Only Soujirou can say that in such a pathetic, silly way, smiled Kenshin to himself. "Oh, you poor thing! Would you like to share our Xmas dinner? You just can't be wandering with all this snow!!" The lady forcefully grabbed Soujirou's arm and begins pushing through the snow with vigor, dragging the araaaing boy with her. "Demo, Yuka-sama..." giggled Soujirou. "I don't want to be a bother..." "Hush, boy..." the ancient lady patted his shoulder with a laugh. "Maybe we don't have much variety in food, but we have enough. Besides, it would be a shame to let you freeze tonight...It's Xmas, don't you know?" "Hai..." Soujirou looks from the group of children whining for cookies, to Yuka's husband, and then smiles at the lady "I can do some work... I can wash your windows, or..." "A nice offer, boy, but we don't have windows." laughed Yuka. "Well, I need to know your name, boy, or I'll have to call you " boy" all through dinner." "Soujirou." he blinked, then smiled like the sun. "Seta Soujirou." "Here is your bag, rurouni-san!" sang a girl, giving him his small parcel. "Domo." Soujirou knelt to talk with the girl. Big mistake. A really, really big mistake. The girl was on his back before he could blink. Next was a little boy. And then, the entire group. "Araaa..." Yuka was laughing at the sight of the glomped young rurouni. Her laugh followed Sano and Kenshin even when the landscape blurred. "I'm happy to know he is well, Sano." "With that smile, I'm sure he will be alright. Melting ancient ladies' hearts ... of course, YOU prefer to melt young ladies' hearts..." " SANO!!" "ehehehe..." Suddenly, they were in a room. When they turned around, Sano's jaw dropped to the floor. A breathtaking lady, with shining, curly, dark hair, a lovely figure, and the most beautiful light green eyes was before them, pouting. She consulted the clock on one of the house's panels and then growled, her delicate gray, pink and green kimono contrasting with her mood. She was no teenager: her body was mature, her face, the face of a woman of character. As the minutes passed, she becomes more and more upset, till she finally says with a sigh. "Eiji!" she called " Just carry the tree here. Seems he isn't coming." "Eiji?" repeated Kenshin, his eyes wide. "Can she be...?" The skinny boy he knew from the Shingetsu town affair was carrying a Xmas tree bigger than himself. "Can we begin trimming the tree? I'll carry the decorations..." Eiji moved with an energy and decision that amazed Kenshin. There were no traces of the bitter, hurt child he once was: now he was boy that resembled Yutarou quite strongly... "Hai, Eiji-chan. But I'll take care of the paper lanterns..." Tokio started working, her delicate fingers making the origami in colored paper. Even smiling she looked a bit upset... "Whoa. What a woman..." Sano whistled, his eyes large. "Look at those hips. She must be pretty wild in bed." "SANO!!" Kenshin blushed and then crossed his arms indignantly. "She looks like a fine lady. It's sad she is disappointed and lonely..." "Tadaima..." came a voice from the door. Tokio's face lit up, but then she assumed a cold mask. "Okaeri." she answered, standing on tiptoes to put a bright red globe in one of the upper branches. Sano's jaw dropped to the floor again when Saitoh came into view, carrying some bags, his hair still damp with fallen snow. "Ohayo!" Eiji saluted, grinning. "Is that the chicken? Is that the soup?" "Hai." said Saitoh calmly. "And here is your gift. I'm sure you will make good use of the books." he added. "Hurry up and put all this in the kitchen." Eiji obliged jumping with joy. Saitoh smiled briefly and then, taking his wife by the waist, kissed her on the cheek. "Merry Xmas, koibito." "You're LATE ...again ...Hajime." "Sumimasen. I'd just stopped to find...this." Saitoh produced a little box from his pocket and offered it to his wife. Tokio smiled, unable to stay angry. When she opened the paper box, she exclaimed her delight. "It's lovely, Hajime!" Hajime's answer was muffled by her kiss. When he embraced her to deepen the kiss, his gloved hands just paused just for a second on the way to her back to straight the star on the top of the tree... "Lucky bastard..." Sano rolled his eyes, "Like a ruby hairpin is worth it..." "It's not the hairpin, Sano," Kenshin beamed, his eyes happy and wistful. "It's the love..." The scene faded to gray, and then to black, with a starry sky. Kenshin found himself once more in the dojo, a slightly envious smile in his lips. "It's over, neeh?" "Iie. We have one more place to visit." Taking his hand, Sano guided him to Kaoru's room. Kenshin, puzzled, tried to refuse to open the shojis, but they were in before he could voice his protest. To his surprise, Megumi and Kaoru, both with a blanket tucked up to their chin on the futon, were firmly embracing one another, asleep. "Nani..." They both looked like young angels. Megumi, her wild hair a black mass of green reflections pooling on the floor, her blue yukata showing her creamy cleavage, was sleeping face up, stretched out and snoring softly. Sano giggled. Hugging Megumi, Kaoru had a pink yukata, loose in the shoulders, her naked arms around her friend. She had a trace of tears on her face, something that made Kenshin cringe. "Ken ...shin..." came a whisper. He raised his head and Megumi did likewise, rousing enough to tuck the other girl a bit more into the warmth of the futon. Sano shook his head in commiseration, looking at the rurouni with an ugly stare: but his turn of gape came when Megumi whispered "Oh, Sanosuke..." with a tired sigh. Then, she cursed, and tugged on the covers fiercely. Kaoru blinked, rudely awakened as the Fox stole her shelter against the cold. Sano and Kenshin was still laughing about her fury in pulling the covers back and the cat fight after that, when Sano began to fade. He smiled at his friend, and patted his shoulder. "You're not alone, Kenshin. And think...che, these things have never been easy for me, but... think of the ones close to your heart, okay?" Kenshin enveloped the ghost in a hug as Sano faded further. The ghost grinned and said: "Leave that for the morning, Ok? I'm not going to remember any of this..." When he was alone yet again on the porch, Kenshin walked silently in the snow. So many memories...of friendship, love, and important ties to many people... "You!" The voice startled him. Because he had never heard it before. The man who stood in the front of the dojo was wearing a white cloak. He was too tall to be Soujirou, too tiny to be Sano. His face was shadowed by a hood, but his build beneath his strange blue uniform betrayed his youth " Sessha...?" "Yes, you. I'm here to show you the future." "My future?" Kenshin watched the man jump and land with grace in the snow, and then noticed a slim chain around his waist. "No. The future of the people you love..." When the landscape blurred, Kenshin was ready for anything. Or so he thought. A pale, sixty-year-old Aoshi walked in the abandoned garden of the Aoiya. There was no laughter, and no sounds come from the closed and broken shojis. He stood, looking at an old, uncared for rose bush, covered with snow. Cutting the last flower, he began to walk again. "What happened to him...?" Kenshin asked, surprised by the dead expression on the old man's face. "He lost what he loves. And only because he realized it too late. Too late, when the Oniwabanshuu..." The scene showed a clearing near Kyoto, where four stones marked four tombs... and five new rocks marks five more. The rose was laid over the tiniest. Not Beshimi's... ...It was Misao's tomb. "...were murdered...He managed to save Misao, but she couldn't stand the pain. She...Cut her wrists..." Watching Aoshi cry desperately, ancient over that old tomb, Kenshin felt his heart break, and he began to cry too. This couldn't be the future of that shining creature... "Why didn't we help them? Why weren't we here?" "What "we" are you talking about?" came the icy reply. Kenshin blinks. And a horrible idea begins to take root in his mind. "Where are we now?" The spirit kept silent. "Where is Kaoru-dono now?" The scene changed to the dojo. A closed dojo. A ancient lady, with gray hair is cleaning the garden... slowly. As her face comes into view, Kenshin feels pain in his heart. An old Kaoru, alone, sick and battered, picking papers from the garden. So lonely... "Megumi-san was killed in 1901 by an assassin looking for you. You were angry, killed him, and ran away to return to rurouning. Then Sano was put in jail for something he didn't do... in fact, just because he has gained too many enemies by hanging around with you. He was finally murdered in the jail, for making trouble. And Yahiko was lost from that time." The voice of the spirit was cold and unfeeling, and for a second Kenshin thought he could see the reflection of golden eyes under that hood. "In fact, he was murdered soon after leaving the dojo to follow you..." "I don't want to hear any more!!" "You finally earned the cloak by killing Hiko Seijurou, and you went to the Korean War..." "I SAID I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE!" with that furious scream, Kenshin took hold of the white cloak and faces an older reflection of himself. Even with all the changes, he could still recognize his own face. But the cross scar had almost disappeared. "There is no chance you can change our future, if you don't kill me, Rurouni." "No..." Kenshin shook his head, his eyes burning with disbelief. "Never...again..." "Or I'll kill you ...and all you love the most..." "There must be another way. I'll go tomorrow...I'll go and..." A powerful stroke, and Kenshin felt himself bleeding. The Battousai, sword raised, confronted him with his furious, cold yellow eyes. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? THIS WILL HAPPEN IF YOU'RE GONE!!" "Demo..." Another stroke. And then, a whisper in his ear. "Let us be happy... let us love...Onegai, Kenshin, onegai ...you are the vortex of so many people... so many lives... so live, and let them live..." Kenshin found himself hugging the Batttousai like a lost brother. So cold... he is so cold and hurt, and the snow was so cold too, that he wasn't even aware when he drifted off to sleep... ~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*( ~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*( Epilogue (*(~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*( ~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*(~~~(*( It was Xmas morning. Kenshin awoke on his futon, with his yukata on, the pale beams of the winter sun playing across the wooden floor. As he rose, he could clearly hear the birds singing, and the voice of an excited Yahiko chatting about his gifts. Kaoru could be heard laughing and Sano complaining about the noise and his aching head. Megumi was answering and laughing sarcastically, making Sano groan. Was it a dream? No. Kenshin tenderly touched an object on his pillow. It was real. So it was all real. Hiko and the past: love tying him to his memories... Sano and the present: happiness ready to blosoom... The pain in his future...if he don't make the right choice... But there was no doubt in his mind. He dashed into the halfway, still in his yukata and with that precious object in his hand, and hurried to the porch. He stopped briefly to enjoy the sight of his family breakfasting, laughing ...and pinching each other too, all under the light of the morning sun. His heart melted, and, decision made, he walked forwards, hugged Sano, caressed Yahiko's hair, kissed Megumi's cheek and then and without a moment's hesitation, went straight to Kaoru, took her in his arms and gave her a long kiss. " KenSHIN??" " IT'S ABOUT TIME!!" " He must be SICK!!" He didn't mind the exclamations - He just set Kaoru gently back on the floor, because she looked ready to faint. "Kaoru-dono, will you marry me?" Silence. Shocked silence. And then, cheers, as Kaoru threw her arms around his neck and gasped out "Hai...hai! HAI!" in joy. As he had in the past, Kenshin declared his love with a carrot in his hands. --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- Get great offers on top-notch products that match your interests! Sign up for eLerts at: Click Here ------------------------------------------------------------------------