Three months.
Three months that seemed like an eternity.
Three months of painful living and dying.
Three months since life was truly not worth living for Kaoru.
Three long months have passed since Kenshin's sorrow-filled life ended peacefully in the arms of his beloved Kaoru. Earlier in her life, Kaoru would morbidly wonder what she would do with herself if Kenshin was to ever die suddenly and early. Would she have committed suicide? That seemed highly likely, but after the repeated lessons that Kenshin and their friends have taught each other - that life was worth living…
If that were the case, why couldn’t Kenshin find the happiness of living with his family, instead of wandering Japan for fifteen more years, only to find pain near the end? But that was selfish thinking, for at the true end, Kenshin found his peace in death. And though Kaoru was happy that her beloved found the much needed peace that he yearned for his entire lifetime, the pain of loosing her beloved was even greater.
Though Kaoru longed for Kenshin to return from wandering each and everyday of his life, she never regretted supporting his return to wandering. Part of her duty as his wife was to bring him happiness at any cost, even if it cost her own happiness - including their son’s - and her own health. It seemed like destiny cruelly - but mercifully - planned this for the two lovers: when Kenshin was stricken with incurable and mysterious ailment, Kaoru knew life would not be worth living after Kenshin was gone from this world, so she allowed the two of them to share each other‘s pain and pleasure on last time.
One would think that that was incredibly spoiled for a wife to say: she had a son to take care of. But it was already proven that Kenji did not need his mother anymore. He was fully grown by samurai standards, and ever since he came back three months prior from Seijuro Hiko, she had truly seen a change in her son. Kenji did not seem as disdainful toward his father, who he considered a failure as a head of a household. Not only that, but he seemed to be more attentive of Raikoji Chizuru, a neighborhood girl. It seemed that he was even displaying courting behavior toward her. But, Kenji gave more attention to his mother, who was the reason why he came back to Tokyo. He wanted to be with her for the remaindered of her dwindling life.
But before that, Kaoru had to tell him, so that her entire family would be at peace.
It was late evening the previous night when Kaoru took a turn for the worse. Despite all of Megumi’s rangaku expertise - and even Sanosuke’s Chinese homeopathic medicines - they knew that Kaoru’s life was coming full circle like the cherry blossoms in late spring, though Kaoru was a blossom that fell too soon from the tree. It was best for all who had a special place in Kaoru’s life to come see her one last time. Earlier that day, many of Kaoru friends and acquaintances - even former and present students of the Kamiya Kasshin School - came to the dojo that they all called “home” at one time or another to say their final farewells. They all had met Kaoru under different circumstances: some as friends, some as bitter rivals. But they all left under the same circumstance: rivers of tears streaming down their cheeks.
Now, the ultimatum of Kaoru’s life approached the next evening. To her right was a lantern, which was oddly decreasing in luminance as the time passed. To her left were her family: Kenji, Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Megumi. The entire evening Kaoru spent coughing, but also talking and passing on words, thoughts, and prayers. They all tried their best to keep themselves together, but they knew they could. They suppose they had learned that trait from Kaoru, who always laughed or cried when she felt it necessary. The Kenshin-gumi - which would now be decreased by two vital members - refused to leave the side of the woman who took them all in under her roof when they needed it. But after bidding her farewells to Sano, Yahiko and Megumi, she asked for some time to spend with her only son. As the others filed out, Kenji stayed sitting by his mother’s side, fist clenched on his lap.
For a minute or so, Kenji and Kaoru stayed silent in the darkening room. He figured that his mother was too weak to talk by now, but then, Kaoru was finally able to speak.
“Kenji?” she asked weakly.
“Yes, mother?”
Although she was on her death bed, Kaoru still managed to give a sickly but spirited laugh. “Did I ever tell you how much you look like your father? You really do.”
Kenji smirked sadly. “Heh… I hear that a lot from Yahiko-san and Tsubame-dono.”
It pained Kenji to see his mother in such pain. He felt this pain when he would see her on the engawa, looking sadly at the birds in the cherry blossom tree when he was younger. But though she was in pain, his mother did not seem very sad at the moment, but rather, joyous. All thoughts aside, Kenji tried to be manly like the samurai and held back his tears. He felt a warm hand on his.
“I know, that you have never been very fond of your father. You always stressed about how he would leave and how he should have stayed with us, his family. But you know how your father had to go through so many hardships in his life.”
Gulping back his tears, Kenji answered. “I know mother… Yahiko and Hiko-sensei told me of his way of the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryuu.”
Kaoru gave a sickly smile at the fact that Kenji was finally starting to understand Kenshin. But he needed to fully understand his sire too.
“Yes. But before I pass into the next world, I want to tell you my side of your father’s story.”
It seemed like an eternity to Kenji, sitting there listening to Kaoru reflect on how she first met Kenshin, how she accepted him even after revealing his hidden past, and how she eventually grew to love him. She told him of how she and Kenshin were bonded eternally after the battle with Enishi, and how through all of those small but significant times of happiness, Kenshin still had to struggle with his guilt, even after having the family he thought he would never have. Yes Kenji wished for this eternity of learning of his famous father’s past to last forever. Alas, he knew it wouldn’t.
Coughing from talking so consistently, Kaoru continued.
“Your father, the feared Hikitori of the Bakumatsu, did it all so then the people -the children, in fact- wouldn’t have to go through the same pain he did.” She smiled an then continued.  “You could say…that he did it all for you, the son he thought he would never have.”
Kenji looked down, trying to retain the tears that have found a way to trickle down his cheek. He then gazed up with regret in his eyes, regret of how he treated his father. If he had known all of that, if he had known that despite the role he played in the new era’s birth that his father had only truly found acceptance with his mother, if he had known that in reality, Kenshin was only truly happy when he was with his family…
Kenji’s train of regretful thoughts is disrupted by painful coughing emitted from Kaoru. She is struggling to say her last words.
“I only hope….That you can find it in your heart….To forgive your father for leaving us for all of those years….And to love him…..Like we loved you.”
The tears come out on their own. Kenji didn’t care that he cried, he only cared about being with his mother for these last few moments has he reached out and held her hand.
“I-I will mother. I promise, to you and to father, that I will use his sword -the sakabotou- to protect the weak like he did and, to protect Chizuru.”
Kaoru smiled while coughing. “Your father would be proud of you. No, always was proud of you, our son.”
Kenji refused to let go of his mother’s hand. They both knew that she had only a few moments left in this world. As Kenji gripped tighter to her hand, Kaoru stared into space, and began to speak softly.
“….I can see him now……He’s……Waiting for me….. Shin-…”
Then, everything went silent, and the lantern at Kaoru’s right went out.
“Mother?”
At that moment, Kenji felt Kaoru’s hand go limp in his. Despite the darkness, Kenji was able to see Kaoru closing her eyes for the last time with a smile upon her face.
Kaoru had quietly died, just as her beloved before her. Gently laying her hand down at her side, Kenji wept quietly so the other’s wouldn’t hear him. Noticing the darkness of the room, Yahiko entered with a bright lantern at hand, followd by Sano and Megumi. All breathes had left them when the saw Kaoru’s lifeless body.
Yahiko gulped agitatedly as he tried to find his voice upon seeing his sister-figure lifeless form. Kenji answered all of their questions with the answer they never wished to hear.
“She’s gone,” Kenji replied, refusing to turn around, as he was still weeping.
“Oh, Kaoru!” Megumi cried, dropping her medicine cabinet, allowing all of the concoctions to spill to the floor.
Yahiko looked away in order to weep, as Megumi turned toward Sano and cried into his chest as he embraced her back, having a look of extreme hurt and sadness on his face.
“Jou-chan…”
As the others mourn, Kenji however wiped the tears from his eyes as best he could and gives a soft smile to Kaoru, who had a peaceful countenance.
Mother…Father… I hope you find happiness…In the next world.

*****

When Kaoru opened her eyes, she found herself in a grove of sakura, which were in full bloom. The breeze was warm - yet cool -  in this place, the sky clear. It seemed that no matter how powerful the gusts, the amount of tiny petals on the trees never dwindled. As she picked herself up, Kaoru noticed that she was in her more youthful form, with her favorite indigo ribbon in her long, raven hair.
“Am I, in the afterlife?”
Kaoru began to observe the beautiful environment. It was a millions times more breathtaking than the sakura that she was familiar with, and it seemed that nothing could ever destroy this beauty. However, such beauty was something to share with those you love, and as far as she could see, Kaoru was the only one in this grove.
Until she spotted a figure.
He was facing a the endless horizon by a nearby sakura tree, she could only see the back of this figure, but when she finally recognized the familiar red gi and crimson hair, her filled with tears.
It is Kenshin.
Though he was further away from her, she could still hear him clearly as he began to speak.
“Kaoru.”
As he began to turn around to face Kaoru, she could see that it was the same Kenshin that she had met all those years ago, with his same smile and amethyst eyes, only this time, the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek was gone forever.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Kaoru.”
“Kenshin,” Kaoru whispered. She at first began to take small steps, but then found herself running frantically, crying.
“Kenshin!”
As Kaoru neared closer to Kenshin, she stumbled, eventually falling into his embrace, still maintaining tears of utter joy. As she held him tightly, crying into his gi, Kenshin stroked her soft tresses, holding her with his free arm.
“We’re finally together, Shinta.”
Kenshin nodded as he looked into Kaoru's cerulean eyes, wiping away her tears. And as the two reunited lovers exchanged smiles, the two then took each other’s hand and embraced each other, gazing into the distance, as the sakura blew through the wind.