Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Closed Doors ❯ Chapter 5

Standard disclaimers apply.

"Closed Doors"

Chapter V:

Sanosuke was walking nervously from outside Dr. Genzai's operating room. Kaoru's screams were getting louder and louder by the second and its tingling in the spine. He felt like his feet were beginning to feel achy from walking to and fro the hallway for many hours now. Trying hard to calm himself, he sat down beside the teary-eyed Yahiko. But just a few seconds after, he stood up and began walking again.

"Could you stop that, rooster?! You're getting me dizzy!" Yahiko smirked.

Sano's brows arched. "Oh yeah?? Then its good to let you be a replacement for Jou-chan inside!"

"Why you-!"

Just as Yahiko had almost gnawed Sanosuke's head off, Misao yelled at them both.

"CUT THAT OUT WILL YOU???"

The two stopped instantly.

"If you can't stay quiet for just one moment then why don't the two of you go home?!"

Suddenly, the shoji door of the operating room slid open. Misao quickly recognized Megumi's familiar image.

The fox lady smiled wide at them.

"Hey guys… it's a boy."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

As Kaoru's eyes opened, she saw that there were flowers all around the room in the clinic she was in. At every corner were freshly picked flowers, filling the air of their sweet scent. She managed to smile despite her weak feeling.

"How are you feeling Kaoru?", Misao happily greeted her.

"Misao, this room looks like the flower shop at the market," Kaoru said to Misao laughingly.

"Do you want to see your baby? Megumi took him to be cleaned. And he'll be brought to you a little later." said Misao.

The smile in Kaoru's lips slowly disappeared. She avoided her friend's gaze.

"I don't want to see it," she said coldly.

Misao looked at her sharply.

"What do you mean you don't want to see it?"

"That's all. I don't want to see it."

"Kaoru-chan, don't blame the baby. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Misao heard no response from Kaoru. Shortly, she sat down by her side and held her hand.

"If you're still not ready to see the baby, okay. Nobody's forcing you to. But you have to know, your baby needs you…especially now."

Kaoru questioningly looked at Misao. Her brows met from what she heard.

"The baby's not that strong, Kaoru. He's still being observed by Dr. Genzai and Megumi-san. His lungs are deformed and he's having a hard time breathing," Misao explained.

She paused for a while. She waited for Kaoru's reaction. When she heard nothing, she decided to continue.

"Kaoru, I know this is not easy for you to accept. But please do remember that this was not given to you by Kami-sama for no reason. If you think of the baby as just one mistake, well there was a much worse mistake you did, on which he just came out from,"

"But now that you have already come this far, why are you backing off? He's your son, Kaoru. And no matter what happens from this day on, nothing will change the fact that he IS your child,"

"Accept that fact. It will be good for you, for your son and for all of us."

Misao didn't remove her eyes away from Kaoru's face. She looked for any sign of concern or compassion in her stiff image. Or any sign of understanding that might take effect on her with everything she had said.

But Kaoru remained quiet. She stayed cold and distant.

Misao sighed as she got up. There was sadness in her eyes when she looked back at her friend. She leaned over and patted her hand.

"I'll leave you now. Take a rest."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Kaoru tried to bring back her normal routine after she gave birth to her child. And because she did not want to breastfeed the baby, she decided to continue attending to her sword fighting classes with Yahiko and the other students. She did not want to waste any time.

Misao continued to convince Kaoru that her child needs her but she was blind and deaf to her friend's plea.

Yahiko, Sano and Misao take turns taking care of Kenji, the name they thought would fit the child. But Dr. Genzai's words were final: the child has a sunken or funnel chest which causes its irregularity in breathing. The only remedy to cure this congenital defect is an operation. He instructed the three that he would operate on the child once they had thought its body is stable enough to undergo such process.

~õ~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

One afternoon, after a tiring sparring session with Yahiko, Kaoru was resting at the porch when Tae came running to her suddenly. She was asked by Misao to look after Kenji in the meantime she is in Kyoto.

"What's the problem Tae-chan?" she asked Tae as she saw the worry on her face.

"Its Kenji, Kaoru. We have to take him to the clinic right now. He can't breathe."

"N-nani? Ano, had not Misao came back yet?" she anxiously asked. She got used to Misao always being there for her. There to remove her of her responsibilities with Kenji.

"Iie, she's not home yet," Tae regretfully replied.

"H-hai. Please get Kenji, Tae. I'll have Yahiko run to Dr. Genzai's clinic so they could prepare the things they need ahead of us," she quickly said. Her heart was pounding hard. She suddenly felt scared.

After sending Yahiko before them, she helped Tae fix Kenji's things before speeding up to the clinic. On the way while running, Kaoru would glance discreetly at her son from time to time, who was being carried by Tae. His cheeks were very pale, his lips almost blue. In the rise and fall of his small chest, Kaoru felt his trying hard to breathe.

She had also observed how Tae caressed the small body of the child. Of the way she stops the soft but noisy cry of her son.

Of my son, she told herself. He is my son. It is me who should be carrying him. It is me who should be caressing him…

She felt a sharp pain piercing her heart. What was this she was feeling? Envy? Annoyance? Anger? For whom? For Tae or for herself?

Kaoru shook her head as if getting rid of her bad visions. She looked at the baby once more and said a quiet prayer.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

After many hours of their stay at the clinic while Kenji was given first aid treatment, Megumi told them that the boy is already out of danger and that they could bring him home any time they like. He had only caught a cold that clogged his chest which worsened his situation.

Kaoru can't explain the relief she felt with what Megumi had said. While she was waiting, its as if she had felt a cold hand covered her whole body. She suddenly woke up to the truth that her own son was in danger.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Kaoru carefully slid the shoji behind her and tiptoeing, she came close to the crib at the center of the room. Tae was sound sleeping at one corner.

Her son. Like what Misao had said, nothing could ever change that fact. Nobody. No matter what might happen.

She soothingly brushed one of her fingers in his face. Her eyes were glistening because of the tears that were stuck in them while watching the piteous form of the child.

There was a slight deformity of his chest and shoulder. Nevertheless, in his angelic looks, no one would deny of his natural beauty.

"I will not leave you again, my son," she whispered to the sleeping baby. "I was a big fool for not accepting you as a blessing from Kami-sama…"

"You're not a mistake. And I don't also consider as a mistake the way you have been brought to me. I will try to make you feel the care and love of a mother that I deprived you with ever since the day you were born. That I promise you, Kenji."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

A few days after, Misao came back from Kyoto and she was astounded with what she saw.

In the porch, Kenji was in one of Kaoru's arms while the other held his milk. Because of Kenji's bouncy attitude, Kaoru never got to put the milk in his mouth right. But after a few more tries, she soon succeeded.

Misao watched them for a time because for her, its one beautiful sight to behold.

A smile appeared on her lips. The tiredness in her face seemed to fade.

She came in to a one happy home indeed.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

There you go! Chapter V. I hope you like it. Post me your feedbacks 'kei? I'd be delighted to hear from you. THANKS! More to go!