A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction by Flori-dono
weebei17@hotmail.com
http://members.dencity.com/flori-dono/fics.html
 
ONLY TIME CAN TELL

A Fanfic by Flori-dono

Disclaimer: This is a Rurouni Kenshin-inspired fan fiction. The
author is not making any money out of this. The characters of
Rurouni Kenshin belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shounen Jump, and
Sony and others that should be mentioned but were not.

IV

Tsubame shifted to the right, her arm across her forehead. She couldn't 
sleep. Even if her head was already aching with all the thinking, she 
still couldn't get her eyes to close and sleep.

She got up and dressed. What she needed was a nice evening walk alone. 
Yuutarou was a dear, but she could never tell him what the emotions she 
was dealing within her right now.  Besides, their relationship was 
still new and she didn't know if he would understand about her feelings 
for Yahiko.

Her *former* feelings for Yahiko.

"This is great," Tsubame muttered to herself. "I don't even know my own 
mind!"

She got up and donned her kimono. A few minutes later, she was walking 
by the river. She looked at how the water shimmered under the bright 
light of the moon. Sakura blossoms were scattered on the ground, making 
a carpet of pink. Fireflies danced around her. She smiled faintly as 
she remembered Tae's tale about the wishing fireflies. 

"Go by the river where the fireflies are and say your wish. Do this 
everyday for a year, and your wish will be granted," she had said.

Tsubame had badly wanted to wish for Yahiko to come back when he had 
gone, but she never did go and see if the tale was true. And now, how 
farfetched the idea may have seemed, she regretted it. What if she 
diligently went everyday just to wish, would the fireflies have granted 
it? But then again, she'll never know now. She had Yuutarou, and for 
that she should be grateful.

Then she remembered.

"Then why think about Yahiko?"
 
Something inside her whispered. Why indeed? That was a question she had 
no answer to. 

Tsubame sighed and shook her head to clear her thoughts. She looked at 
the fireflies for the last time and continued to walk, unaware that 
there was someone hidden in the night observing her.

"Angel," said the unknown shadow to himself. 
***
"Yahiko."

Yahiko turned around at the sound of the voice.

"Hey," he greeted, although lacking warmth in the word. "Yuutarou!"

"Nice to have you back," Yuutarou said.

"Yeah," Yahiko said. "Nice to see you too."

"You don't sound like it."

"No, I really am happy to see you," Yahiko said. It was true. Despite 
it all, he was happy to see his friend alive and well. Well, only too 
well...

Yuutarou shrugged. 

"So, you've finally fulfilled your dream," he said. "Myoujin Yahiko, 
Tokyo samurai."

Yahiko laughed. "Well, not exactly but at least..."

"Yeah," Yuutarou said. "Looking forward to seeing you in uniform next 
time!"

"Well, how bout your being a doctor?" Yahiko said. "Last we talked, you 
said you wanted to even be a surgeon."

Yuutarou smiled wryly and said, "I'm putting it off."

"Why?" Yahiko asked. "What happened?" He was really curious. 

"Tsubame," he said. "I'm thinking of marrying her."

***
Yahiko winced at that. 

"Of course," he thought. 

Yuutarou felt bad about saying that one but he needed to know how 
Yahiko would react. Perhaps he would let some secret out.

"Well," Yahiko said, making an effort to speak. "So when's the 
wedding?"

Yuutarou was surprised. He was all the more confused. 

"There isn't one yet," he replied softly.  "Tsubame and I would still 
have to talk about it."

Silence.

"Yahiko, are you angry with us?"

Yahiko stilled at the question. He knew that Yuutarou was no fool, he 
knew there was something wrong in the picture, and he knew that he 
could only get the answer from him. Yahiko would never cheat on his 
friend. Yuutarou got Tsubame fair and square, there was no question 
about it. And the honorable thing for him to do was to accept it. 

"No," he started, taking his time to explain himself. "Why should I?"

"Was there anything between you and Tsubame?" Yuutarou asked.

Yahiko wanted to laugh at that. Was there really anything between him 
and Tsubame? If there was, it was all in the past, the operative word 
being WAS. 

"I loved her," Yahiko said. "And I'll be a hypocrite if I told you I 
still don't love her. But if you were asking if Tsubame and I had a 
thing going on before, the answer is none. I didn't have the courage to 
tell her how I felt. And I still don't have the courage to tell her 
now."

He looked at the other man and saw his knitted brows. 

"Don't worry Yuutarou," Yahiko said. "I won't take her from you."

"It's not that..." Yuutarou protested. 

This time Yahiko laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I just don't want to ruin our friendship."

"Nor I."

"Then..."

"Congratulations Yuutarou," Yahiko said quietly.

Yuutarou looked at him with respect and admiration. Myoujin Yahiko was 
one hell of a guy. If their roles were reversed, he knew he couldn't be 
as understanding and as giving as this man.

"Arigatou," he said.

Yahiko simply smiled.
***
"I don't believe this," Kaoru said aloud, disbelief showing on her 
face.

"What, koishii?" Kenshin asked as he stepped behind Kaoru, putting his 
arms around her waist, resting them on her rounded belly.

"Look," Kaoru said.

Kenshin propped his chin on her shoulder and looked.

"I think, we won't be having lots of problems after all," he said, 
smiling. "We underestimated Yahiko."

Kaoru nodded, patting her husband's face. 

"I'm glad, he took everything maturely," she said. "I was afraid..."

"I know. I guess he's just grown up."

Kaoru stared at the two young men talking. She felt peculiarly old. Was 
it that long ago when she would still pry Yahiko and Yuutarou apart 
during one of their violent arguments? She suddenly felt her eyes 
misting.

Kenshin kissed his wife at the nape of her neck as he felt her sniffle.

"Stop crying koishii," Kenshin said. "If Yahiko sees you like that, 
he'll tease you relentlessly."

Kaoru laughed and wiped her eyes and cheeks. She turned in his embrace 
and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"I'm just so proud of him Kenshin," she said. "He's not only a brother 
to me, anata. He's actually my son."

"Our son, koishii," he said. "Our son."

And the couple took one last look at the two youth before finally 
retiring to their room for the night.
***
"Watch out buddy!" 

The Shadow muttered an apology. He walked away from the man hurriedly. 
He was done for the night. He could sleep, now that he'd seen her. He 
opened the door to his shack and gritted his teeth. He needed to find a 
better house soon. He couldn't let his beloved stay in a an old musty 
hovel such as this. He smiled as he remembered the pretty waitress at 
the Akabeko. No, such a lovely creature didn't deserve ugliness. He 
stared at his reflection on the mirror. He closed his eyes and 
shuddered in disgust. He traced the scars that ran from his forehead 
and down to his chin. He could still feel the warmth of the flames that 
burnt his skin. He opened his eyes. He wasn't only ugly, he was a 
monster!

He couldn't bear to look at his own face, then how could she? He turned 
away from the mirror. 

Tsubame...

"Mister," he could still hear her soft voice as she had spoken to him 
early that noon. "Your order please?"

He couldn't take his eyes off her face, but he couldn't fully look at 
her either, he didn't want her to see his ugliness.

"Miso soup," he answered as usual, muttering. Then he watched her go.

As he was starting to eat, he saw her young man came in. He saw as the 
young handsome boy kissed his angel on the cheek. He saw her flush. He 
saw her eyes twinkle in merriment as her lover told her something. He 
watched her as they both went away, their hands entwined. He watched in 
anger and hatred.

He was everything he wasn't.

The Shadow gazed at his reflection. Yes, he was everything he wasn't. 
He smashed the mirror with his fist. He felt the glass cut through his 
skin. He felt the warm liquid of his blood ooze down. He brought his 
bloodied hand to his mouth and tasted it. 

"Tsubame is mine," he said,a manic gleam in his eyes. "Mine!"
***
TSUZUKU