Summary: Tomoe fumbled with the keys as she attempted to open the locked door. A cacophonic shower of gunshots and screams filled her ears, heightening her fear. A silhouetted figure began walking closer from the depths of the darkened alley… and all she remembered the next morning was a blur of red, violet, and… a cross-scar.

Part(s): 3 Parts

Rating: PG

Author: Rome OMD

Date of Completion (Part III): 5/28/06

Date of Publication (Part III): 6/2/06

Note(s): OOC, OC, AU, OAV/series story line inaccuracies, the usual. Oh, how difficult it is to finish any story…

Disclaimer: Rome OMD does not own Rurouni Kenshin (OAV) but uses the characters for non-profit purposes in this fictional piece of work, which was wheedled out of the author’s imagination. And if you read closely, there are (v. small) allusions (which Rome OMD does not own either) mixed in the story.

Meiguai Café

Part III

Snap!

Crackle!

Pop!

“Man, I hate that cereal commercial.” With one hand on the wheel, Sakura tuned the car radio, searching for anything worth listening to. Popular songs… piano concertos… country… Broadway musicals… “… Okata’s history… the Dark Period stands as one of the most…” Interested, she increased the volume. “Here, we have historian John McElman joining us today from that big-name University down the street of which everybody knows the name. He is the author of the latest bestseller, The Outskirts of History. Thanks, John, for joining us today,” the show’s host greeted.

“My pleasure.”

“I’ve just finished your book. Very intriguing, very interesting. What inspired you to write it?”

“Actually, it’s more like a ‘who’. A student of mine wrote a paper for my Law and Society class that focused on Okata’s Dark Period. Her thesis, which delved into the history of the infamous assassin named the Hitokiri Battousai during this time period—it was quite brilliant. I began researching…”

Arriving at the nursing home, Sakura parked her car in the adjacent parking lot before entering the building. It had been a week since her last visit here. Although she was excited about playing piano once again for the residents there, she also anticipated listening to the rest of Kenshin’s story. Along with the historian on the radio, she had been doing some research on the Dark Period and Okata for the past week and had learned something that she would tell Kenshin by the end of their meeting today.

“How was my playing?”

“Quick,” Kenshin replied when Sakura walked over to sit across from him as they did the week before.

“I wanted to listen to the rest of your story.”

“It’s interested you that much?”

“Of course it has. You realize that with age one’s story telling abilities get so much better.” Sakura sipped her tea, paying attention to every word that left the redhead’s mouth.

---

One morning, the bells attached to the entrance of the Meiguai Café promptly rang with the entrance of a tall, thin lady. Mentally noting the customer’s beauty, Tomoe walked up to her to greet her. “Welcome to the Meiguai Café. How may I help you?”

“Where’s Kenshin?” The stranger noted Tomoe’s suspicious stare. “I’m a good friend.”

Briefly glancing at the customer, Tomoe made her way to the kitchen. “Kenshin, you have a visitor. A friend, she says.” He gave her a questionable stare. Equally disconcerted herself, she simply shrugged her shoulders as he walked to meet his visitor.

“Kenshin!” the lady cheerfully said.

“What are you doing here?”

“Aren’t you glad to see me?”

“Of course, but—“

She quickly cut Kenshin off. “I need to talk to you privately. Yo, lady! I’m taking Kenshin out on a little break today.” As Tomoe turned around, she felt something within her stomach uncomfortably lurch when she saw the two exit arm-in-arm through the café’s entrance doors.

“Tomoe, what’s wrong?” Hikaru inquired from the side.

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

---

The lady firmly kept her hold on Kenshin’s arm as they walked by the boundary between the North and South that divided the two regions. Marked by the juxtaposition of the darkness of the buildings on one side and the immaculateness of the sunbathed ones on the other, the location emanated an otherworldly feel. The lady looked up to the cloudy morning sky. “Why haven’t you come back?”

“Megumi.”

“You left without a word. It took me forever to find you. Iizuka wouldn’t tell me, that bastard. Father’s been furious at your disappearance. He’s loading up a hefty debt to everyone, especially Saitoh. If a fight breaks out, Sanosuke’s our best bet, but for a definite victory, he needs you.”

“I realize that, but I won’t return.”

“Why? Why the hell are you running away? Everyone’s afraid of you; you should have nothing to run away from!”

“The chaos, violence, the death—I don’t want to see it anymore. My technique should be used only to protect.”

“To protect by killing.”

“No.”

“You are the Hitokiri Battousai!”

“No, no longer. There’s always another path, one better than that of bloodshed. I want peace, and I’ve found it. I’ve found more happiness living here than ever in my entire life.”

“Because you’re in the North! They don’t suffer like we do. Remember what they did to us during the War. We scarcely have enough food, heat, whatever. Most of us have hardly enough to scrape through with. We have to fight for what we need, and if that means fighting against each other, against the North, we do it; there’s no room for peace. Or have you forgotten?”

“If the two sides are willing to cooperate, I’m confident this issue can be resolved. If no one picks up a gun, no one will shoot. If no one shoots, no one will die.”

“Damn talking lies won’t get us anywhere.”

“But no one will die.”

Megumi felt tears flowing from her eyes. “Kenshin, how could you? You bastard… you ran away!”

“You don’t have to involve yourself… just step back and see what chaos has wreaked the South. It can all start with just one person. If just one is willing to open his or her heart, then perhaps something may just be able to work out.”

Megumi angrily kicked a tin can against the brick wall of the nearest building. “Damn it, Kenshin. It’s that lady with the plum blossoms scent isn’t it?”

“I should return, Megumi. It’s beginning to get dark.” When Kenshin began to move, he felt her grab his wrist. Turning around, he saw that her eyes were shining with concern.

“Wait, there’s something I must tell you before you leave. Father… he’s not very happy with your actions. He knows where you are, and I think he might…”

---

The carnations tranquilly rested within the vase. Sitting down, Tomoe admired the depth of their color accentuated by the gloaming moonlight outside. Akira, I don’t understand what’s happening to me. I wish you were here, because then all would be fine. What should I think of him? I need you, I’m lost. She felt a twinge race through her being at that moment. Acknowledging the confusion and division of her feelings, Tomoe closed her eyes as she tried to tame the growing conflict within her heart.

As Tomoe leaned against the counter on which stood the cash register, trying to comprehend Kenshin’s sudden leave with the lady, the bells attached to the door jingled. A man walked inside. He had a mysterious glint in his eyes that she did not like. He walked directly towards her, and she straightened up, ready to meet him.

“Are you Akira Kiyosato’s fiancée?” Tomoe eyed him. “I’m a good friend.” She eyed him again. “I’ve got something very important to tell you. I know the identity of your fiancé’s murderer.”

Tomoe was initially shocked by his blatant statement but quickly dismissed the feeling. Fury began to boil her blood as the man who had the gall to mention Akira’s name so casually continued to stand in front of her with that mysterious glint. “Leave.”

“Don’t you want to know?”

“I don’t even know who you are.”

“Name’s Iizuka. Akira and I were school buddies.”

As Tomoe continued examining the stranger, she just barely saw the barrel of a gun under his coat. “I don’t want to deal with you right now. You have no business here. Leave or else I will use force.”

“The damn police don’t know crap. Hah, as if they instill fear in anyone, especially anyone from the South. Okay, so I’m not your dead fiancé’s friend, but I do know who killed him.” Iizuka opened the door. “I thought you may have wanted to know, because he’s living under your own roof.” Iizuka walked out, laughing as he exited.

Tomoe stared at the shattered pieces of porcelain of her teacup that had just fallen to the floor. He’s living under your own roof… When she kneeled, she quickly lifted her head to meet the most beautiful pair of violet eyes. However, she quickly turned her attention back to the shattered teacup without once acknowledging his presence.

“Can I help?” Kenshin asked. Tomoe ignored him and quickly walked with the shattered pieces to the kitchen alone.

They had dinner in complete silence. Although outwardly he did not display it, Kenshin was inwardly torn by Tomoe’s cold and standoffish demeanor. The vase of carnations remained in the center of the table, seemingly creating a barrier between the two. When they had cleaned everything up afterwards, Tomoe offered a curt good-night before retiring off to her room. As Kenshin stared at the threshold of her door, he felt a thousand knives mercilessly stab him in the heart.

---

The nighttime hours were passing, and she had experienced not one moment of peace, never mind any slumber, the entire time. She felt confused, angry, and sorrowful. Confused because of her feelings; angry because of she could not sleep; sorrowful because of how she had treated Kenshin. She had turned and tossed for the past few hours, unable to straighten out the disorganized thoughts that flooded her mind.

Suddenly, Tomoe began to hear voices through her open window followed by a quick bellow of thunder. She walked towards the window but gasped when she saw a bottle thrown through the opening, just barely missing her head. She screamed when the bottle, upon reaching her floor, started a fire in the middle of her room. She coughed as the smoke, which she discovered was more hazardous than mere smoke, began to permeate the room’s air. Peeking outside the window, she saw the beginnings of a fire in the front of the café. Several people began throwing stones against the building to shatter the glass windows. Tomoe inwardly gasped when she saw others take out their guns.

“Tomoe!” She turned around, relieved to see Kenshin by the door. “Hurry, we need to escape.” He reached for hand.

“Who are they?”

Kenshin averted his gaze. “My family.”

“What are they doing here?”

“They’re coming for revenge for what I did to them.”

“What did you do?”

“I left them for you.” He immediately felt her squeeze his hand and then met her gaze. “They’re going to destroy the cafe.” Hearing the sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs, Kenshin pushed Tomoe behind him. He cautiously neared the top of the staircase.

Kenshin quickly punched the first man to come into sight, swiftly stealing his gun from within the layers of his clothing. The redhead then quickly aimed the weapon at the forehead of the next man to arrive. However, from the corner of his eye, he could see Tomoe fearfully shake her head back and forth. He shot the man in the legs, immobilizing him, before one-handedly dismantling the weapon and then throwing it down to the ground.

“Damn you, Hitokiri. You were supposed to be on our side!” The man with the injured legs shouted.

“Quick! They’re upstairs!” Voices on the first floor quickly exclaimed.

The two ran to the end of the hallway and found no possibility of an exit except that of a window. Pushing it open, Kenshin quickly examined his surroundings to determine the safest possible way to escape from the two-story opening. The footsteps were hurriedly climbing the stairs. Kenshin pulled Tomoe into a tight embrace.

And suddenly, she felt the floor disappear from underneath her feet as she and Kenshin jumped out the window. They tumbled onto the ground, Kenshin acting as the shock absorber for Tomoe, who momentarily rested discombobulated on top of his chest. Upon regaining consciousness, Tomoe gasped at his momentarily immobile figure She quickly shuffled off of him, cradling his head with her arms.

“Kenshin! Kenshin!” she called. The voices of the people inside the café increased in volume. She frantically shook his body, but when he did not move, she held onto him even more tightly and buried her face within his dirtied red tresses. “Don’t… Not now, please… Kenshin!”

Abruptly feeling something stirring within her chest, Tomoe immediately helped him regain his footing as she reached for his hand. She only needed to look in his violet eyes to know that he was fine. They were just barely able to dodge a cacophonic shower of bullets as they ran down the alley behind the building. They continued until they could hear and see no more of the Meiguai Café’s destruction in the pouring rain.

---

“Well?” Sakura asked, leaning forward on the table.

Kenshin sighed. “I don’t think my back ever healed from that fall.”

“No, no, I mean—what happened next?”

“This is my story’s end.”

“End? You mean—“

“The destruction of the café ultimately ended our relationship. After escaping, we decided never to see each other again. And we never have.”

“Are you serious? That’s it? Like that?”

“Quite bittersweet, right?”

“You mentioned that this was your first love story. Did you end up having a second?”

“I eventually met and married Kaoru Kamiya, who worked as an elementary school teacher in Kyoto. She was the kindest person I’ve ever known in my life. But she passed away after giving birth to a pair of twins, who did not survive as well. It was probably then that I became reluctant to form any kind of a relationship with another person anymore. I guess I was afraid of having to endure anymore sorrow.”

“Actually, there’s something that I’ve been meaning to tell you today. Tomoe Yukishiro… she died three years ago under the name of Tomoe Davies. She was my grandmother; I didn’t know she was the same lady until earlier this week.” Kenshin nodded. Sakura was surprised at the lack of a reaction from the other party. It seemed from his demeanor as if he had been expecting a coincidence like this from the beginning. “She married an American and had three children, one of which was my mother. Strangely enough, she never spoke a word of the Meiguai Café to anyone. At least, not to me.”

“Sakura,” a voice called from the side. The addressed volunteer turned her attention towards Joy, who was approaching the table. “It’s one-thirty.”

“Oh, geez, thanks a bunch for reminding me. Job interview,” Sakura quickly explained as she organized her possessions. “Mr. Himura, thanks for sharing your story with me.”

“It’s healthy for a man my age to remember great memories such as the one I had just shared with you.”

“You know, my grandmother used to tell me stories of her childhood when I was little. One time, after bullying my younger brother around, she tried to teach me that there was good within everyone and that I should respect that. She told me the story of a man she once knew, a man who had changed his bad ways with love and patience. And she told me that he had the most beautiful pair of violet eyes in the world. I’m guessing that she was referring to you.”

And for the first time since conversing with him, Sakura saw Kenshin genuinely smile.

---

Kenshin sat in bed, staring at the placid moonlight outside his window. He eventually rested on top of the covers, knowing that he would no longer use them after tonight.

When they stopped running, they could neither hear nor see anymore of the sounds or sights of the café’s destruction. The rain fell down with unrelenting force. The only source of light came from a single lamppost a couple feet ahead of them, but they could see each other just perfectly within the dim setting.

“We need to find somewhere to stay. We may catch a cold,” Kenshin replied, looking around. At this, Tomoe reached for Kenshin hand and gently caressed it.

“Since meeting Akira, I knew that I wanted to share a peaceful life with him together, forever. But when he died, I thought that I would simply fall apart without him. Then you came, helped me, and even loved me. And all of this happened within the café, where all my memories lay. But now, it’s gone. It was the closest I’ve ever been to having the peaceful life that I’ve always wanted. I owe it to you to be honest. Since meeting you, I’ve been disoriented in a flurry of confusion and emotions. And it hurts, very much. I don’t know what my feelings are anymore. I don’t know what they mean. I don’t know what to do. All I know is that I need to sort this out. But I need to do it on my own. That is why I’m asking you to never see me again.”

Kenshin could not believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. He stared deeply into her eyes for an answer. My past has finally caught up with me. I destroyed her happiness, not them.

She began caressing his scarred cheek. “If your words are true and there really is a Heaven, let us meet there. We need to move on, because this lifetime wasn’t meant to be ours to be together. I’m sorry, Anata…” Though the tears ran down her cheek, they were camouflaged by the rain furiously falling from the sky above. In their last moments together, they shared a kiss with which they used to seal the promise, and then they embraced in the pouring rain that carried the memories of their time together.

Kenshin closed his eyes, allowing the night to carry his soul away to peace. “I’m coming, Tomoe…”

End of Part III

Author’s Note(s): And that is the end, folks. I was in a bittersweet mood after watching X-Men 3 (I highly recommend it!). Compliments and criticisms are welcomed with open arms. Thank you, omasuoniwabanshi and tomoefan, for keeping me updated with how I’m doing—it really helps! This is the shortest chapter, I know, b/c all the mushiness was stuffed into Part II (and I was running out of ideas). I really hope you enjoyed it, and thanks v. much for reading my story!