Summer's End

By Clorinda

Rated: PG

Category: General

Summary: As every beginning must have an end, and every life must have its death, the summer quietly fades away. Ficlet about Kenshin and Kaoru. One-shot.

---

It was deathly silent at the Kamiya dojo, and for once, peacefully so. A butterfly, no larger than a thumb, its wings brightly splashed with colour, fluttered heavily in the air, coming to rest finally, on a slack white hand.

Even with its electrocutingly ticklish weight, the girl didn't stir. She was propped up against the thick trunk of a tree, her small, dark head falling to the side in every image of slumber. The butterfly spread and folded its wings a couple of times, and took off into the air again, brushing against the pale cheek as it sailed away.

Kaoru never felt it. Half her body leaned against Kenshin, his arms wrapped around her almost protectively, almost like he was asleep and she was his sword.

But he wasn't asleep. He was very awake. His violet eyes were soft where they rested on the top of Kaoru's head, stray bangs of red hair in his face so that the world could never see his expression.

It crept closer to midday above the dojo, above the tree, above the entwined hearts. But they didn't move. They could not.

Laughter floated in the sky, sweet, girlish and innocent. A flower, torn loose from its branch, drifted down from its branch, lodging itself on the shoulder of the faded gi. Kenshin picked it off. It was small, delicate and white. With hands that trembled, he tucked it in Kaoru's hair, careful not to shake her.

It was summer. The season where the brook ripples through the country, the flowers blossom like blooming magic. The season where the birds soar high in the kingdom of the sky. But this bird had fallen. It had not even flown. It had had not chosen to give up its home to fly with the flock.

Something tugged at Kenshin's heart, like a little girl tugging at the leg of his worn-out clothes. He knew what that little girl was trying to say. Holding Kaoru closer, he leaned back against the trunk, and closed his eyes too.

---

Kaoru stirred. The first thing she felt was the taste of blood in her mouth. Startled, she tried to sit up. Kenshin's hands fell away from around her. They were stained crimson.

She looked at the sky, and saw it was blue. Bright, azure blue sprinkled with clouds a the silhouette of a bird flying high.

Maybe that bird carried, like the white goose carries the moon, a soul that deserved to be somewhere better.

—- End -—