Disclaimers: All hail Nobuhiro Watsuki for creating such an incredible series! All hail Sony and Sueisha
Entertainment! All hail Rurouni Kenshin otakus! And all please don't sue me for borrowing a few pages...
I have no money! STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY...
"YAHIKO NO BAKA! Get a rag and start polishing the dojo AGAIN!"
"H-hai, Kaoru..."
"And after that, buy some tofu and tell Tae-san that I can't make it to the Akabeko!"
"H-hai, Kaoru..."
Kaoru's indignant yell echoed throughout and within minutes,
the scuffling of Yahiko's tabi reached Kenshin's ears.
The red-haired rurouni looked up from his laundry and shook his head.
'Aa, Yahiko must have done it again,' he thought to himself, half-chuckling
as he hung out the last of the laundry and drained out the water in the washtub.
The said boy came charging out with the tofu bucket, pausing to give Kenshin a sharp bow. "So long, Kenshin. Ugly's at it again."
He tried to duck the projectiles hurled at him by an angry Kaoru (whose hearing was unbelievably sharp when it came to cutting remarks), but her aim was always perfect when she was angry. They all hit poor Yahiko squarely on the head and he went off, groaning about the growing lumps on his head.
Each time Kaoru would teach the "Tokyo Samurai" a.k.a Miyoujin Yahiko
and start praising him for his growing skills in the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu,
the boy would start getting cocky and sometimes, he went as far as insulting his teacher,
peppering his sentences with "fat", "ugly", and "hag" thus sparking her temper.
But Kenshin knew otherwise. Beneath their partly sadistic relationship (or totally sadistic, depending on your POV.=_=), they both endeared to each other as brother and sister (although Yahiko would never admit it!).
Rolling down the sleeves of his gi, the violet-eyed swordsman sat down on a rock
and took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh early morning air.
'So peaceful...the chi I feel here is one that brings peace of mind to one with a tainted past,'
He clearly remembered as if it were only yesterday when he was known as the fearsome legend.
The hittokiri battousai. The one known as death to many at the end of the Tokugawa Era.
He remembered the bloodshed. The screams of those he had killed. The pleas for his mercy.
Kenshin shuddered involuntarily as if it had suddenly grown cold around him.
That was a past that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
The guilt was there, the pretense, the nightmare that was horrifyingly real.
And Himura Kenshin, the eternal rurouni would remember each battle with remorse.
It was his curse, his destiny. Or so he thought...
But that one cold night changed everything. While walking down a dark Tokyo alley,
a young woman with feisty blue eyes dared to challenge him with a bokutou,
claiming him to be the legendary hittokiri.
That was the first time he had seen a woman as beautiful after those lonely days and nights of wandering,
searching for answers, for the redemption of his battered soul.
Kamiya Kaoru, mistress of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu.
His woman. His alone to love and protect.
'Jin-eh...he knew...he noticed...Apparently, shishou did, too...
he knew how much I would give my life for Kaoru...'
Even Tomoe could not amount to the care Kaoru had given him.
And she had sacrificed herself for him so many times, proving that she did return his love.
"Oi, Kenshin...you better TELL Jou-chan, right away...
She'll be twenty pretty soon...the Fox Lady's probably gonna set her up for the miai...
Don't you dare let go of her."
Sanosuke had let the last sentence dangle in the air,
as if threatening to tear him to pieces lest he did something wrong again.
Kenshin had dismissed it laughingly, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Sou de gozaru ka, Sano? Hai, hai...don't worry, ne. I plan to tell her soon."
That afternoon had been somewhat amusing
after seeing the cross look on the ex-gangster's face.
"It had BETTER be, Kenshin," he replied.
Kaoru had become like a sister to him and he was genuinely concerned for her.
He knew how much she loved the redhaired rurouni, but at times
he was being so aggravatingly dense, it ticked him off.
'Sano's right. I HAVE to tell Kaoru.
Now would be the best time since no one else is-'
His reverie was broken ny Sanosuke's boisterous shout. 'I spoke too soon.'
"Oi, Kenshin! Tae-san's started putting up today's special! Wanna come along?"
He shook his head. "Ieie...Sumanei de gozaru. I can't, Sano. Not today."
A knowing grin spread across Sanosuke's face. "Aa...I get it...Okay, Kenshin.
Some other time. Maybe I can convince the Fox Lady.
Ja mata, Kenshin...and good luck."
With that, the ex-gangster gave a careless wave,
never noticing the rurouni's raised eyebrow and a plaintive "Oro?" issuing from his lips.
~*~*~
'Why is it that Sano can read my mind? Is it THAT obvious?'
Kenshin thought to himself after Sanosuke had exited the scene.
"Of course it is! You were just too dense to realize that, ahou!" a little voice in his head mocked,
not unkindly.
"Oh, shut up," Kenshin gritted out, flushing a little when he realized
that he had spoken a little bit too loud.
"Ohayo, Kenshin...You're really early today."
Kenshin turned his head to find Kaoru wearing her favorite blue kimono and
tying up her hair with a green ribbon, smiling gently.
'Beautiful...she looks so beautiful today...'
"Not that she isn't everyday," the little voice added. And he silently agreed.
"Hai de gozaru. Ohayo, Kaoru-dono," he replied softly.
He motioned for the girl to sit down beside him and she smiled again,
making his insides melt instantly.
Even the way she said his name always managed to make him weak inside.
She wasn't his weakness, though, but his strength...as his friends were.
Kaoru was the one bright spot in his life and it was through the little things she did
that made him fall in love with her more, every second of every day they spent together.
"Kenshin..."
"Oro?"
She shook her head and hid her giddiness through her thick lashes.
She jumped a little when Kenshin suddenly covered her hand in his.
"Daijobu, Kaoru-dono?" His violet eyes were etched with concern and she nodded.
"Daijobu, Kenshin..."
"I'm glad, Kaoru..."
He tightened his grip on her hand and drew her close,
savoring the sweet hyacinth scent emitted by her silky black hair.
"Kenshin?"
Kaoru gasped a little at the tenderness he was displaying
but she didn't wonder anymore when Kenshin's lips made light contact with hers.
She sighed against his lips and he took that as an invitation,
deepening his kiss and probing the inside of her mouth with his tongue,
groaning a little when she responded, meeting his tongue with hers.
"Kaoru...kaoru...aishiteru..." he groaned aloud, pulling her against him.
One hand found its way in her hair and his fingers slowly undid
the ribbon that held back the midnight curtain he loved.
Kaoru slid her hands underneath his gi, feeling his chest for the first time,
loving the way he gasped when she ran her hands across his abdomen and up his chest,
feeling the tight muscles twitch slightly under her touch.
"Kaoru, you torture me...you drive me witless," Kenshin whispered against her lips,
gripping her hair and kissing the breath out of her, again.
So that was the effect she had on him. Well, it felt damn good to know.
She smiled inwardly and snaked her arms around his neck, kissing him just as passionately.
Realizing something, he pulled away shortly, surprising and disappointing both of them. "Kaoru, I've been meaning to ask you something for a long time...but..."
"Yes?"
"Uh...um...well..." Kenshin turned a faint pink color, unsure if he should go on.
"Kenshin no baka! Speak up!"
"Uh...well, de gozaru...you might be interested in someone else, Kaoru-dono and...uh..."
Kenshin's face flamed to a bright red, rivaling his hair.
"Kenshin...my answer is yes," Kaoru giggled.
"You mean...you'll have me, Kaoru?" Kenshin blushed when he realized that she had read his mind.
"No one else, Kenshin...just you...undoubtedly and always..." she smiled, placing a gentle kiss
on the famous scar he was identified with.
"Demo, I was just wondering what took you so long to ask, baka..."
He laughed. "Sumanu...I really thought you were seeing someone else, Kaoru...
and I knew I didn't deserve you."
"Oh, Kenshin...you may be a lovable idiot, but you're MY lovable idiot," she laughed, hugging him close.
They stayed like that for a few minutes when Kenshin decided to ask, "So...should we tell them we'll get married?"
"No need to, Kenshin...We heard and saw everything," said a voice.
The couple jumped up, looking around to see who it was. Both blushed when Sano, Megumi, Misao, Aoshi, and Tae emerged, laughing.
Kaoru blushed harder, gawking at them. "You mean...you saw everything? Even the..."she asked in a small voice.
"Nah, we didn't look...much," Misao grinned, giving them a wink.
The rurouni looked ready to faint. "Oro? Misao-dono..."
Aoshi cracked into a smile. "So, when are you planning to get hitched, Himura?"
"As soon as possible, methinks," Sano smirked, giving the two a victory sign.
"This calls for a celebration." Tae scampered to the Akabeko, calling out, "I'll whip up something special for today. It's on the house!"
"Good thing Yahiko didn't see any of that, tanuki girl..."
Kaoru fisted a hand at Megumi's sly remark but decided to let it pass. The news was out, and she didn't care anymore. Soon, she would have Kenshin by her side, forever and she wanted nothing more.
'Aishiteru...Kenshin...'
SPOILERS:
Well, what do think?
I think this isn't the greatest of my Rurouni Kenshin fanfics, but I was typing the original story,
when a typhoon caused the electricity to go out.
When the lights came back on, I discovered that I wasn't able to save the most important part of the fic...
It was a well-written scenario that was lost due to a mistake...ARRRRGGGGH!
