From: RuriHari@aol.com

Here's the flashback scene(s) any flames, comments and rants are welcomed. 
I'm crossing my fingers in hope that the formatting stays the same.


Chapter Zero- I: Flashback 1

September 15th, 1889
Tokyo

    “We have to hurry.” Yahiko said. “I don’t know what is going on
but I know that Kenji and his grandfather were after something.”
    “And to think I was thankful that these days were over.” Megumi
huffed.
    “Megumi?” Sano asked as they met in front of the Kamiya dojo
gates. His eyes went directly towards the medicine case she had and he
swore and burst through the dojo gates.
    “MEGUMI-DONO!” Kenshin’s anguished yell was heard through
out the house.
    “KENSHIN!” Sano yelled.
    “O-ka-cha-NNNNNN!” Nozomi’s wail could be faintly heard. 
Followed by Kenshin’s anguished scream. “Kaoru! Noooo!”
    “Yahiko stay with Ryu please.” Sano said.
    “But-”
    “Yahiko please,” Sano said, “Its not time to argue, just do as I
say. I don’t want Ryu to see what’s happened.”
    Yahiko nodded and turned Ryu away, “Let’s take these things to
the kitchen.”
    “Why is Oto-san so angry?  Why was Nozomi yelling?” Ryu
asked.
    “There’s a problem in the dojo.” Yahiko said, “Don’t worry, it
will be fine.”
    Ryu nodded.
    Sano burst into the dojo and stopped, “No. It can’t be.”
    “ ‘ka-chan! ‘ka-chan!” Nozomi wailed. “Wake up!”
    Megumi gasped and dropped her case.  She turned to Sano and
hid her face in his shirt.
    “How could this happen?” Megumi cried. “This was supposed to
be a happy day.”
    “Its no Jinchuu this time.” Sano whispered. “This time its real.”

September 15th 1889 
Kyoto, early evening

    “Hannya come back here with that rice ball!” Misao exclaimed.
“You’re trailing rice!”
    Hannya giggled as his pudgy legs went as fast as they could go. 
He clutched a riceball in his left hand which was high in the air.
    Suddenly the riceball was snatched from Hannya’s hand.
    Hannya looked up to see Shinobu holding the riceball.  Hannya’s
lower lip began to tremble. “This is what you get for taking a riceball.”
He said to Hannya.
    “Shinobu return the riceball to your brother.” Misao said realizing
the wail that Hannya would produce if the riceball wasn’t returned.
    Shinobu grumbled and gave it back to Hannya.  Hannya turned to
Misao and said, “ga-san up!” as he rose his arms.
    Misao picked him up and placed her hand on Shinobu’s head,
“There’s more in the kitchen. Take your brother back with you, he’s
trailing rice where ever he goes.”
    Shinobu nodded and got close to Hannya, “Let’s go to the
kitchen.”
    Hannya knew what Shinobu was doing and crawled on to
Shinobu’s back.
    “Hold on to Shinobu.” Misao said as she collapsed on the steps.
    “You worry too much,” Aoshi’s voice said. Misao looked up and
smiled at him, “I’m their mother, what can you expect?”
    Aoshi sat next to her, “Misao.” he said seriously. 
    “Hmmm?” she asked as she placed her head on his shoulder. “I
didn’t do anything wrong this time did I?”
    “Not this time.” he said amused. “Its about Kaoru.”
    Misao yawned, “I remember, I have Nozomi’s gift to send.”
    “There will be no birthday this year Misao.” Aoshi said silently.
    Misao sat up, “What?”
    “Something happened to Kaoru-”
    “What!  What happened!?” Misao asked grabbing hold of Aoshi’s
gi.
    “I don’t know, the message was short.  Misao,” he said, “Kaoru
is-”
    “No! No! It can’t be! She’s just injured.” Misao cried out.
    “Its true, Kaoru died today.” Aoshi said.  He held Misao close to
him. He was so thankful that Misao was alive.
    “But how? Who? It can’t be!” Misao exclaimed.

September 16th 1889 
Tokyo, early-morning

    “Hai, hai. I’m coming.” Yahiko said as he stumbled to the door of
the Kamiya gate. He slowly opened it and found Misao standing on the
other side with Aoshi.
    “We came as soon as we got the message. I’m so sorry.” Misao
said as she entered.  Aoshi followed with packages and a box in his hands. 
Misao had a bag in her hand.
    “What about Shinobu and Hannya?” Yahiko asked groggily. He
was slowly waking up.
    “The Okina and Omasu are looking after them.” Misao replied.
“Where’s Kenshin?”
    Yahiko sighed, “At the clinic, he can’t bear to be here after what
happened.”
    “What did happen?” Misao asked. “The news we got was so
brief.”
    Yahiko sighed.
    “Would you like some tea?” a voice asked.
    They looked up to see Tsubame with a tray.
    Yahiko looked up at her and smiled, “You’re a lifesaver.”
    Tsubame smiled back at him softly.
    By now Yahiko had woken up and was drinking tea as they all sat
around the table. He explained to them to the best of his knowledge what
had happened.  Misao felt Aoshi take her hand. She felt him squeeze her
hand tightly.
    “When I got there with Megumi we-”
    “No! No! Stop!” Misao exclaimed. “What sick joke is this?! They
should pay for what they did.  Kenshin didn’t deserve this! No! No!”
    “Misao, Hikaru died. He got what he deserved.” Yahiko said
dully.
    “No! Kaoru should be here raising her daughter with Kenshin!
She should be alive and well!” Misao crumpled into Aoshi’s arms and
sobbed.
    “She was supposed to live and get old!” Misao sobbed. “She
didn’t do anything wrong.”
    “I keep saying the same thing.” Yahiko said sadly.
    Misao had calmed down and then stood up. “I can’t- I can’t take
this anymore, excuse me.” she said as she left the room and walked to the
courtyard.
    She shivered at the early morning cold and wrapped her arms
around herself as she looked around the dojo.  She walked to a covered
well and curled up on top, pulling her knees to her chest and crying,
“Kaoru-san... our lives...” she felt bad.  How could she live happy?
Memories of her and Kaoru planning their lives out, their future. Now
how could Misao fulfill those dreams she made with Kaoru?
    “... they seemed so promising...”

    Kaoru sighed as she patted her stomach, “Come soon so you can
meet your father. I know you will love him and make him your hero.”
    Misao rocked Shinobu, “Kaoru you must be so anxious!”
    Kaoru’s eyes lit up, “I am, I think this is what I wanted, a baby for
Kenshin and me.” she sobered a bit, “I know Kenshin will love and
protect the baby.”
    Misao smiled, “Aoshi loves Shinobu, if he can love Shinobu then
Kenshin will adore the baby.”
    “I have no fear of that.  He loves children but...” a leaf fell on the
wooden deck.
    “But what...?”
    Kaoru brushed it away, “Its nothing, just a mother’s worries-” she
stopped.
    “Kaoru?” Misao asked worried.
    “I said it didn’t I?” Kaoru asked in a hushed excited tone.
    Misao smiled, “Yes as if you had been saying it for years.”
    Kaoru sighed happily, “Mother, mother...” and closed her eyes, “I
am a mother.”

---------------
notes:
- the last scene was what I was waiting for, I felt bad posting this so short,
so I added another flashback scene. 
- my (hopefully permanent home) which has notes and other random stuff:
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/Haruchan/rkff/rkffmain.htm 
Rurichan- who is off to finish writing "The Bet" ^_^

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