Chapter Text
December, 1878
Kamiya Dojo
It was early December. Winter had come full force in the night. Kamiya Kaoru had awoken several times to the sounds of snow and wind buffeting the walls of the dojo. The sound of a particularly loud THUMP against the wall of their bedroom brought her again to wakefulness. Her heart slamming in her chest, she turned and surveyed the man lying next to her. If the sounds didn't awaken him, there was nothing to worry about.
Kaoru thought Himura Kenshin was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. His features were so delicate and angelic looking that he was even more ephemeral in appearance than most women. His entire body was slight, delicate, slender. Yet when she touched his chest, she could feel the strong, wiry muscles that held his latent strength. His face was absolute perfection. He had long eyelashes which touched down to his cheeks when his eyes were closed. When open, his eyes were a rich, deep violet color that made her heart flutter when she looked into them. His crimson mane was loose, cascading in fiery torrents down his back as he slept, blissfully unaware of the girl's survey of him. The only thing marring the perfection of this gorgeous man was the litany of scars that covered his torso.
He bore the scars of battles from his days as Hitokiri Battousai, including the infamous cruciform scar, which had been carved onto his features by the doomed couple Kiyosato Akira and Yukishiro Tomoe, whom Kenshin had later married and then accidentally killed with his blade. On his body were the more recent scars from his battles with Udo Jinei, Saitou Hajime, Shinomori Aoshi, Shishio Makoto and finally, Yukishiro Enishi. Kaoru shuddered at the thought of the last one. Only four months ago, all hell had broken lose as Enishi and the Rokutai unleashed their Revenge on Kenshin and his dearest friends, each member of the Rokutai having their own reasons for wanting revenge on Kenshin. Enishi's of course, was for the death of his beloved sister, Tomoe.
In the end Kenshin had found the answer to his questions and was able to defeat Enishi. The ordeal had left many wounds, both physical and emotional, the latter of which were just now starting to heal. Using his Watou, Enishi had carved a deep, grisly wound that ran all the way from Kenshin's chest to his pelvis. The wounds were all healed over and Kenshin's arm was long out of the sling, thanks to Takani Megumi's excellent care. The scars would fade with time. Kaoru lightly touched the long scar on Kenshin's abdomen. Finally, finally that horrible wound was closed up and Kenshin wasn't suffering anymore.
Kenshin flinched when Kaoru touched his scar. She pulled away, not wanting to wake him. Kenshin sighed, drifting back into sleep. On their first night back after the return from the island Kenshin had been plagued by a grisly nightmare of seeing the corpse doll, which had made him believe Kaoru dead. He woke up in a sheer panic, crying out for her. Kaoru had come into his room and rocked him in her arms, soothing away his agony and tears with the gentle sound of her voice.
Since they had started sharing a room, his sleep had become more peaceful. The nightmares had decreased to almost none. Kenshin felt safe and content with her next to him, and this allowed him to sleep more deeply than he had during the whole first 29 years of his life. Kaoru shivered in the chill air, thinking of the hell they'd been through in the recent months. She looked again at the man sleeping beside her and snuggled into Kenshin for warmth. It was time to put the past behind them and concentrate on the future. Finally sleep reclaimed her.
In the early morning hours, Kaoru awoke to a choked out sob. Her eyes snapped open and immediately were focused on Kenshin. He was crying in his sleep, tears streaming down his face. Another nightmare about the doll?
"Mother, Father," he choked out as another sob racked his body.
Kaoru's eyes widened. Kenshin was dreaming about his parents! Kaoru didn't know anything about Kenshin's childhood before his time training under Hiko Seijuro XIII. He had never volunteered any information and she'd never asked, sensing that it was a delicate subject for him and she didn't want to pry.
Kaoru gripped his shoulders and shook him gently.
"Kenshin, darling. Wake up. You're having a nightmare," she said.
Kenshin's eyes opened wide and his gaze locked onto Kaoru. Kenshin yanked her into a vice-like embrace and clung to her. Kaoru stroked his fiery mane and whispered into his ear that it was alright and that she was right there. The sound of her voice and her gentle touch soothed the swordsman's shivering. Finally he lay back down on the futon. Kaoru curled up with him and hugged him, wanting him to feel her touch. She gently wiped the tears from his face with her fingertips.
"Were you dreaming about your parents?" she asked in a half whisper.
Kenshin nodded and looked at her with watery eyes.
"Yes. I haven't even thought of them in so long, but tonight..."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Kaoru stroked his scarred cheek.
"I barely remember their faces. I can't remember what their voices sounded like anymore," Kenshin continued.
"What happened to them?" asked Kaoru.
"They died of cholera, in the winter, in the snow," sighed Kenshin. "The snow..."
He said this with an unaccustomed bitterness in his voice.
Kaoru hugged him close to her, stroking his long hair. Kenshin nuzzled her and buried his face in her breast. Kaoru snuggled with him till she heard his breathing change as he sank into a blissful slumber.
Kaoru shivered. Kenshin's parents had died of cholera during the winter and of course his first love, Tomoe had died on a very snowy day. In Kenshin's mind, winter and snow were forever linked with death and suffering, nothing pleasant.
'He hates the winter and the snow. To him it's nothing but a time of death and painful memories. He doesn't have one good memory linked with this season. He had no childhood at all. He never got to build a snowman, make snow angels or have snowball fights like I did. That's it! He doesn't have any good memories about the winter, yet. I can fix that,' Kaoru thought to herself.
Tomorrow the ground would be blanketed in snow, a glorious winter's day, a day to help mend Kenshin's heart a bit more.