Kendo no Go
In the Language of Kendo:
A Fanfic in 100 Chapters
by Akai Kitsune
96: Family
~*~
Kaoru is
standing in the streets of Tokyo, now walking, moving through the crowds
around her. She carries a small bag of money, and is listening to the soft
jingle as she walks, wary of possible thieves who might wish to pocket it
themselves. She is alone.
She realizes, as she is
walking, that this is a dream, for even as she walks alone, Kenshin is there
beside her, Kenji on his shoulders, holding her hand and smiling in the gentle
breeze. None of them speak.
Indeed, no one is speaking,
even amongst all the people who bustle about in the great assembly of the
market. It is like a moving photograph, silent, gray, full of questions and no
answers.
The day is dark and damp,
promising rain, or snow, perhaps. The wind is soft, yet cold, but Kaoru and
her family do not seem to feel it. She is warm, she knows, with her hand
enclosed in her husband's. She is safe.
She is treating them to
dinner - even dessert! - for the housework they managed to do that afternoon.
They cleaned the whole house, Kenji had exclaimed, his face bright and proud,
even the dojo, which was Yahiko's job. Kaoru had hugged him, smiling, and
promised to buy him a wonderful dinner for all his hard work.
She knows this must have
happened, although it did not seem to happen in the dream. Her dream began in
the streets, walking, alone. Yet not.
They are an ordinary family,
walking on an ordinary day, and nothing is happening. Nothing is going
dramatically wrong. Kenshin is not fighting, or dying, or leaving her. She is
not crying, or waiting for him, or pretending to smile for the sake of her
son. The same son is also not crying, not yelling, not hating anyone,
especially not the father he clings to so happily. It is a dream, so
everything is perfect.
As they cross the street,
coming closer to the new restaurant she had promised Tae she'd visit one day -
to test them, to discover the secrets of the competition in order to protect
her business - she sees Tomoe, standing quietly in the rain - when had it
begun to rain? - her eyes gazing forward into the throngs of people who pass
her by. She is looking for something.
Kaoru has no idea - no
idea whatsoever - how she knows it is Tomoe. It might not be; it might be
simply a representation of what Tomoe looks like in her mind, although when
Kenshin first told her about the woman, she could not imagine her appearance.
All she knew was that the woman was beautiful.
She waves, then, her hand
cutting through the air to acknowledge the existence of the older - no,
younger, she realizes, remembering that Tomoe had died when she was eighteen,
and Kaoru herself was already over twenty - woman, mouthing friendly words of
invitation. Surely Tomoe would appreciate a nice, warm meal after being dead
for over fifteen years.
Kenshin waves as well, as
does Kenji, following his father's example, even if he doesn't know the woman.
He says nothing, though; no words to his past wife, no typical apologies for
appearing before her with his perfect family, in his perfect life. He remains
silent, a small smile on his face. Kaoru knows it is a dream, and is further
persuaded, because despite the impossibility of the situation, she cannot
imagine her husband doing such a thing.
Tomoe does nothing. She gazes
at them, her dark eyes taking in each person, each smile, each waving hand in
the sky. She doesn't move, simply watches them through the gentle fall of
water. A firefly rests on her shoulder, unnoticed and inconspicuous. After a
long moment she turns away, disappearing into the crowds, the rain
transforming into a gentle mist which echoes her silent departure.
They continue on their way,
letting the world pass them by. She has had this dream before, Kaoru thinks to
herself, in an infinite number of variations. It could be rain, or snow, which
is light or heavy. The stores are full, or they might be empty and vacant.
Sometimes there is no firefly, but a cricket or a dove resting on Tomoe's shoulder.
Sometimes Tomoe is not there at all. The streets are crowded; the streets are
empty. Kenji is on Kenshin's shoulders, or in her arms, or on the ground.
Kenshin holds her hand, then his arm is around her. They are all happy; they
are all gloomy in the miserable weather.
Kenshin is smiling. Kenshin
is brooding.
Kaoru is smiling. Kaoru is
venting.
Kenji is smiling. Kenji is
crying.
There are endless
possibilities, each minute detail of the dream altering to create a whole
different situation. She wonders how long it might take her to watch every
single unique dream in it's entirety. For every dream, once they reach the
restaurant which does not exist, ends before they can enter their destination.
They never go home, she
thinks to herself, and dreads her awakening every time.
But every night, every dream,
every time they walk, or jog, or run through those mysterious streets of
Tokyo, or Yokohama, or Kyoto, searching for a restaurant, or an inn, or a
graveyard, they are all together. In the dream, she is alone, but her family
is there, right there, beside her.
~*~
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