Legacy

 

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

 

Chapter 27 - Identity

 

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"Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies"

                                                                        Evanescence

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"Beings of power always know how to find each other…"

 

Misao's eyes flew open as a gasp escaped her lips. Pure terror had changed their color from sparkling jade to a shade that was closer to a pale blue. She trembled as the child's voice that had ripped her so rudely from the realm of dreams continued to echo against the walls of her skull. Acutely aware of the cold beads of sweat running down her back and down the sides of her face, she swallowed, her throat immediately protesting with a sharp pain as if she hadn't had a drink of water in days.

 

Turning her head, she gazed at the side of the bed where her husband had spent the night. For once, she was thankful for his habit of allowing her to sleep when he woke up early for work. Usually, she tried to be up before he was, so that she could prepare a warm bath for him and fix him something to eat before he left. This time however, she had been buried too deeply in her dreams to do that for him…if you could call them that. With the morning's vision still glaringly clear in her mind's eye, the last time that she had truly dreamt seemed a more than a lifetime away.

 

"Breathe," she reminded herself as she closed her eyes against the mid-morning's glare. That was one good thing that had come out of Aoshi's meditative binge. In the process of trying to cheer him up she had allowed herself to learn that one skill that now delivered her from insanity. As a younger woman she had failed to understand why he would choose to spend so much time within the confines of his own mind. Only now she appreciated the fact that rather than being confined to the darkness, one was instead set free in a world without rules, one filled with its own life-giving, healing light that continued to replenish and restore them long after they opened their eyes to the "real" world again. 

 

As she lingered within her luminescent internal fortress, she soon became aware of an intrusive, yet not altogether unwanted presence standing at the end of her consciousness the way a visitor waits by the door until he is invited in.

 

She sighed, a puff of imaginary air ruffling the bangs of her dream-self. Although not unwelcome, Misao was hesitant to acknowledge the being awaiting permission to enter her mind. Already she knew what would have to be said between them, and although she had had months to dread its coming, the upcoming event loomed more terribly in her path than ever before. It took all of her being to control her fear, lest it should blossom into a blind hatred that would make her turn against the ones that she loved and trusted the most.

 

Putting on a brave face, dream-Misao smiled and addressed her guest.

 

"Ohayou, Mayuka-sama," she calmly said, "I'm sorry that I'm not completely decent at the moment but it seems that I overslept."

 

The brown-haired child soon appeared at her side and smiled up at her as if she had been right beside her all along. "No my little Misao," she said in a motherly tone that was years beyond her apparent age, "I believe that I am the one who should be apologizing to you for my rudeness. It is still too early in the day to be speaking of unpleasant things."

 

Misao's brow furrowed and her lips turned downward as if she were going to cry, but she fought against it, bringing her mouth up into a trembling smile that hovered on the edge of uncertainty. "No, Mayuka-sama," she softly said, "What needs to be done, must be done, regardless of what one might want to do."

 

The child's smile was long gone as she stared more seriously into the face of the young woman. "So brave," she mused aloud, "An abundance of riches surely await you in the next world child, you bear your sorrow with such grace that I wish I had tears to share with you."

 

The young woman's lip quivered almost imperceptibly at the ghost's sentiment, "Yes, well…" she said in a voice that was even quieter than before, "Tears are a luxury that even I cannot afford at this point. Not while there is work still to be done."

 

The child nodded in agreement as she sighed and sat back on her ankles, "You are right," she said, "It's time for our side to ready our defenses and make sure that the witch gets no further than she thinks she already has."

 

Misao's brows furrowed as she looked upon the child, "Already has?" she repeated, "Has something happened at the dojo? Is anyone hurt?!"

 

"Shh, little one, it's alright," Mayuka crooned soothingly, "Everyone is safe, for now at least. Like I said, the witch only thinks that she is succeeding."

 

Misao sighed, but it wasn't all in relief. "So," she said, "What would you have me do now?"

 

Mayuka's eyes narrowed, their chestnut colour darkened with the weight of responsibility and wisdom gleaned from years that numbered much higher than her form would suggest. "There is only one among us all who is still asleep," she said gravely, "In order to have a fighting chance, we must all be awake and aware of the gravity of the situation that we are in. Do you understand what I am saying, my Misao?"

 

The sadness in Misao's eyes was immeasurable; she barely managed to nod her assent.

 

Mayuka's features softened again, "Brave child," she repeated, "Bring him to me in the afternoon, when the sunlight turns the leaves to gold. When we are finished, he will no longer be a sleeping lamb for the wolf to devour."

 

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"Will she go after them again?"

 

A harassed puff of air escaped Kaoru's nostrils, rippling across the emerald surface of her mid-morning tea. "No," she softly replied, "Tian has gleaned all that she can from attacking the girls, she considers them to be the lowest point of her play."

 

Megumi's lips pressed themselves together until they weren't much more than a thin line of scarlet under her delicately sculpted nose. "I see," she responded just as softly, "I guess now that it does not take a mastermind to see where she will go next."

 

Sano was sitting in the doorway, pretending not to listen to the hushed conversation taking place barely five feet away. A stalk of grass, freshly plucked from the yard, stuck out from his lips, slowly traveling from corner to corner. To the casual observer it might have seemed that he was oblivious to the crisis which surrounded him, but to those who knew him best, the subtle action was the gangster's only outward expression of innermost dread.

 

Though averted, Kaoru's eyes clouded over with guilt and sadness at Megumi's words. "Megumi," she said, "I swear to you on my parents' memory that I won't let her touch any one of you ever again."

 

The chimes above the rooster's head tinkled softly as he cleared his throat. "Nice speech, Jou-chan," he said with his eyes still closed, "But that's not a promise that you can exactly keep. If this woman is as powerful as you'd like us to believe then she is going to get to at least one more of us before this is over."

 

Kaoru's eyes burned as twin points of chemical flame as she raised them in her friend's direction. "She won't!" she vehemently disagreed, "I may not be the strongest fighter in this dojo, but I'd like to believe that I can hold my own in a battle of magic and magic is what we need to defeat this monster!"

 

"I agree with you, koishii."

 

All three friends turned to face the owner of the fourth, familiar voice. His red hair was plastered to his cheeks with sweat and his sword-calloused hands gripped a heavy tub filled with damp clothes for the line. He had not needed to wash them just yet, but in light of recent revelations he had to do something to make himself at least feel useful. Even so, his amethyst eyes were clear and gentle as he looked upon his wife and friends.

 

"I may not understand exactly what this battle entails, and I accept that I don't have the skills to assist you, but the one thing I do know is that there is more strength in a united front. No one is blaming you for Hideki running off last night, but if you want to have half a chance of defeating this threat you two have to settle what remaining differences you might have first."

 

Kaoru's face crumpled a little at his gentle chide, but her stubborn nature refused to allow her to admit that her husband was right. When she had opened her eyes that morning, she was acutely aware of her cousin's presence despite the distance between them. Through the soul-link that they shared, she could sense the refreshing feelings of satisfaction and calm that Hideki had somehow managed to achieve in the company of her husband's icy friend. The temporary freedom from her burdens made her seem so much more like the happy, elder sister of her past that it was all that she could do not to run across the town in her bedclothes just to be with her.

 

A tempting notion…but…

 

Kenshin's eyes had found hers again and they were pleading like none had ever pleaded with her before. Looking to her friends, she found the same look mirrored in their eyes; even Sano's gaze was enough to break her heart. Obstinacy be damned. Her mantra of protection had been repeated so many times that it had lost its flavor. She had forgotten just how precious a treasure she guarded. She couldn't let them down.

 

"Alright," she finally said, "I'll talk to her, I promise."

 

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Tae paused in the middle of one of the many trips she took through the kitchen of her restaurant to watch as her best cook put the finishing touches on the last order he would be making that day. It was only a simple platter of deep fried vegetables and shrimp, but where she herself would have settled for a standard arrangement, Soujiro had instead created a crosshatched pattern of the crisp morsels around their bowl of soy sauce. Even as she admired his efficient creativity, Sou picked up the plate and turned around to offer it to her although he had given no indication that he had known she was there all along.

 

"There you go," he said with a casual smile, "Last order of the afternoon."

 

Tae started slightly, her eyes widening to offer a momentary glimpse of their hazel depths before she caught herself and took hold of the platter.

 

"Domo arrigatou, Soujiro," she said with a smile of her own, "You should go home and have a well deserved rest, I'm afraid I've overworked you today."

 

Soujiro laughed and held up a dissenting hand, "Iie," he disagreed while turning toward the changing rooms at the back, "I like to know that I've earned my pay."

 

"Hm," Tae hummed as her smile grew thoughtful, "Hey, Soujiro?"

 

"Yes, Tae?" he asked as he turned round again.

 

Tae's already narrow eyes seemed to scrunch themselves together, "Have you heard any news from the dojo lately? I mean, I haven't heard from Kaoru in days and today Sano didn't come in for breakfast like he usually does. Are they on a trip or something?"

 

Sou pursed his lips, "I really don't know…" he said pensively, "Misao and I haven’t heard much from them lately either." "Tell you what," he said after a pause, "I'll go over there this afternoon to check on them and I'll bring you an update in the morning, ok?"

 

Tae's smile returned as her worry lifted, "I'd like that. Thank you so very much, Soujiro."

 

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Soujiro's plans for the evening were simple. With the application of a little god-speed, he'd drop by the Himura's for a brief spell, and since he was sure all was well in the land of the Kamiya dojo, he could be back home in time for dinner and a well-earned shag.

 

Too bad things don't always turn out the way you want them to.

 

As he descended the steps of the Akabeko, the first thing that he noticed was familiar flower-patterned fabric of one of his wife's more favored kimonos as she stood across the street waiting for him.

 

Deftly he made his way through the passing traffic to the spot where she patiently stood. As he drew close, the smile that had appeared upon sight of her wavered as a look of confusion crossed his face. Misao was smiling gently as she did in quiet moments between them, but unlike other occasions, the smile she held now failed to reach her eyes.

 

"Koi," he said gently, "Is there something wrong?"

 

Inwardly she cursed her obviousness as she widened the smile in the hope that the grief in her eyes would pale in comparison. "Nothing that can't be fixed by your company, anata," she said as she patted his hand reassuringly, "In light of that, I was hoping that you would walk with me for a bit?"

 

Though far from being completely satisfied, Soujiro understood well enough to know when a listening ear would be more practical than an interrogating tongue.

 

"Alright." He agreed as he took her hand in his.

 

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As they walked, the buildings that marked the city's financial center grew further and further between until the regularity of man-made walls and terraces gave way to the random beauty of nature, and the once-wide road that they followed dwindled to a narrow, grass-lined pathway under their feet.

 

As the number of human faces they passed on their way waned, Soujiro could feel the almost imperceptible drift of his wife's body molding into his own. By the time that they were the only ones around, his arm had been pulled around her waist and her head rested lightly on his shoulder. For the majority of their stroll each had kept his silence, but now as the path grew thickly wooded, a shuddering sigh came from the direction of Misao's lips.

 

Soujiro stopped to look down upon her at the sound, his free hand moving to gently cup her chin. Understanding his silent request, she reluctantly raised her eyes to meet his, knowing full well that her burden of sorrow and fear had become too great to conceal. Her eyes shone in the speckled late afternoon light as if she were close to crying and upon seeing the emotion written there, Soujiro could feel those emotions being reflected in his own heart.

 

"Koi," he softly said, "If you have something to tell me, then please, don't be afraid to."

 

Misao's eyes narrowed as her face crumpled a little, but through sheer will alone she commanded her voice to be strong as she spoke. "You're right Sou," she said, "There is something I must tell you, something I wished I'd never have to say."

 

Gently, her own hands came to rest themselves gently on either side of his face, her thumbs stroking gently over his temples in a soothing motion as she went on.

 

"You are a very special man, Soujiro. More than anyone near you had ever dreamed you to be. There's something about you that my heart recognized right away, but I had no name for it until I met someone who has known you for a far more considerable time than I."

 

The confusion on Soujiro's face was plain to see, "Misao…?" he whispered.

 

As he watched, Misao's body stiffened as she caught sight of something behind them. Instinctively, he turned to face the intruding presence; the confusion in his eyes gave way to wonder as the object in the pathway came into his view.

 

The little brown-haired girl smiled warmly at the young man, the deep brown of her eyes trained onto his dark-gray with a wisdom that belied the sweet innocence of her form.

 

"Hello Soujiro," she said, "It's nice to finally meet you."

 

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