+Legacy

 

An RK Fanfic: i.e. the author doesn't claim rights to the anime used.

 

Chapter 24- Broken Angel

 

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"All you needed was a miracle…"

 

                                                                        Vertical Horizon

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"You think that throwing your life away is courage?!!"

 

Kaoru's shriek instantly broke to the spell of grief that hung over the house like a cloud. She had been angry before and yelling was not uncommon at the Kamiya Dojo but this…desperate rage was something none of them had ever heard in Kaoru's voice. Chills ran down Kenshin's spine at the sound of her anguish. Kaoru was supposed to be the strong one, their cornerstone, but it seemed that even her iron will was slipping away leaving behind only the fear that she hid so well.

 

"I told you to be quiet!"

 

Aoshi's eyes widened at the venom in Hideki's voice. In the weeks he had known her she either used the innocent tone of a girl half her age or in the next moment, the true voice of a woman who was wise beyond her years. Heartlessness was not a word he would have associated with the sound of Hideki's voice…until now. Her desperation seemed even more urgent than that of her cousin's as her tone took on the edge of a wounded beast. These two were supposed to be as close as sisters, why each go for the other's throat like this? Instinct battled with common sense as he fought the urge to burst down the bedroom door and stop this madness before either one said something she would regret.

 

Kenshin looked over at Aoshi as the other did the same, twin expressions of worry etched on their wizening features. Why was this happening? Life had seemed so much better only this morning but now all of that had been stripped away. If they had been children, they would have covered their ears and begged them to stop, even as grown men, the urge to do just that was terribly strong.

 

"Yuchunde haizi! Ni zuo wu liaojie!!"

 

Hideki.

 

Kenshin was mildly shocked, Aoshi a bit more so. However before they could exchange their looks of surprise another hit them in the face.

 

"Wo shi zhengquede. Gangshangde shi ni!!!"

 

 

Kaoru?!

 

Everyone in the dojo exchanged looks of utter confusion. Kaoru was a smart woman but never ever did she let on the fact that she spoke anything other than Japanese. However, that seemed to be the case. Her accent matched her cousin's in it's precision and effortlessness.

 

Kenshin's eyebrows disappeared under his flame-bright bangs as he came to realize just how hidden a double-life his wife must have been living. In all his years of knowing her, never once had her Japanese slipped, there were no quirks in her speech pattern that would have given her away. However, there were never any indications of her…other abilities either.

 

Aoshi who had similarly stiffened in shock at the sound of the already heated argument achieving it's next limit. If he weren't so bowled over by the fact that Kaoru and Hideki were the ones quarreling, then perhaps he may have been able to register at least part of what they were saying as his job required him to know the basics of every foreign language used in Japan, Mandarin included.

 

The question was, where could they have learned it?

 

Heaven never gave him the time to ponder further on these revelations. Moments later the shoji to Hideki's bedroom slid open and she ran outside, almost knocking him over in her haste to get away from the dojo. As soon as she left, the sound of nerve-wracking sobs sounded from the direction of her room. Without hesitation, Kenshin followed the sound of the sobs to offer what comfort he could to his upset wife, but not before he had cast a meaningful look to his one-time foe.

 

Aoshi acknowledged him with a slight nod of his head before slipping out into the night to search for the one who needed him most.

 

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"Run, just run."

 

This was her mantra as the steady slap of her sandals echoed in the stillness of the night. She did not even remember putting them on, it must have just been pure instinct that told her to slip them onto her feet as  she made her mad dash out of the dojo. Free of all restraint, her ice-blue hair trailed after her in the cold night air like a bright streamer, the moonlight that filtered down through the trees making it seem even paler than usual and lending it's owner an otherworldly glow that betrayed her true purpose in the world. Even the tears that painted her features were somehow strangely beautiful and glittering against her olive cheeks as she ran blindly from herself.

 

"Hideki!"

 

Recognizing her own name, she still dared not stop. Instead she increased her pace while calling out over her shoulder.

 

"Go away! Just leave me alone damn it!"

 

The footsteps behind her stopped, probably in shock at her strong words. Still, she refused to do the same and continued on her way as she dragged her sleeve roughly across her face. It was in that moment that a shadow dropped out of the foliage overhead to land directly in front of her. Deftly, it wrapped it's arms around her as she struggled weakly to be free, pounding her fists on it's chest like a child throwing a fit. "Kisama!" she cursed, "Let me go! Let me go!"

 

Ignoring her pleas, Aoshi only tightened his embrace until her sobs began to drown out her curses and her body went limp in his arms. Picking her up, he cradled her against his chest and began to walk in the direction of the dojo only to be stopped by a desperate tug on the material of his shirt.

 

"No!" she pleaded weakly, "I can't face her now, please don't take me back there, I won't go back…I won't…" her words were soon lost in a fresh bout of crying.

 

Aoshi looked down on the woman in his arms, she had turned her face toward him and from under her closed lids, fresh tears still flowed over the bridge of her nose. She looked even younger than she'd previously appeared and infinitely more fragile. Taking one last look at the path that she dreaded, he turned on his heel and began walking in the opposite direction.

 

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Kenshin was shocked to say the least when Kaoru pulled away from him and tried to take the same route that her relative had just moment before. The only thing that managed to stop her flight, was that of a determined-looking kitsune-onna blocking the doorway to her freedom. Not one to mince words or spare the feelings of others when she meant business, she did what she did best and got straight down to the point.

 

"Sit. Down. Now."

 

It was no request, and by no means did  Megumi show any signs of letting up. Reaching behind her she slid the shoji closed and locked it with an emphatic click.

"Get out of my way, fox." Kaoru said quietly.

 

"Make me." Megumi countered in a tone that was no less dangerous.

 

Kaoru's breathing deepened as her voice began to rise, " I said move Megumi!"

 

"And I said 'no'!"

 

"That is my cousin out there alone in the dark! You have no business coming between us like this!"

 

"We are your family Kaoru! Whatever hurts you hurts us as well!"

 

Kaoru's mouth hung open in shock as she faced the sincerity in Megumi's eyes. Of all people, all people in the world to confirm what had always been in held in her heart.  The Megkitsune, the tease, the one who always knew how to rile her, the one who prodded her toward realizing her true feelings toward Kenshin.

 

"The big sister I never knew I had."

 

"I…" she mumbled, finally at a loss for words in either language. The doubts and fears that she kept from view for so long swirled round in her consciousness to form just one, barely intelligible sentence.

 

"I…I'm so sorry."

 

Megumi reached to catch the younger woman under the arms as she slumped forward suddenly as if falling into a faint. She could hear the others echo her alarm as she called out to the woman in her arms. However, instead of hanging limply in the older woman's arms, Kaoru hung on as if for dear life itself as her sobs started afresh.

 

"Please don't hate me," she wailed, "Oh gods, please don't let them hate me!"

 

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