A/N: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!!!!! i really can't stress that enough.... i hope u like this one, i no momiji will like the ending.........
don't own
Aishiteru, Forever
"I love you Kaoru," those simple words, reduced her to a pile of tears as she clutched his gi in her hands. He smiled and embraced her as she repeatedly whispered the words 'ashiteru.' He cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips to hers......
"Hey Busu!" a voice called breaking off her reminiscing. She looked up to find a sixteen year old boy looking at her.
"Hai, Yahiko?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to tell you I'm leavin' now. I'll drop by tomorrow."
"I'll see you then," she answered, getting up in search of her new husband.
"Kenshin?" she called into the kitchen, where the smell of lunch was evident.
"Hai, de gozaru ka?"
"Just wondering wehn lunch would be ready."
"It's ready," he answered, smiling at her. She returned his smile and sat down. He sat next to her and placed a bowl of miso soup in front of them both.
They ate in a comfortable silence. It was no longer awkward for the two to be alone, in fact, they'd come to enjoy the time they spent together. Kaoru was happy now, for the few months before they had confessed she had been on an emotional rollar coaster.
She smiled thinking of all it had taken for her to make him confess. She would praise Megumi for the rest of her life.
Flashback>
"You love Ken-san, ne?"
"Hai, I do," Kaoru answered.
"Then it's time for you to take the intiative!! Men are absolutely too shy to do stuff like this. It took forever to force three words out of Sano's mouth," Megumi informed her.
"But......"
"No turning back now, Kaoru-chan," she said with a huge smile, "You have to do this! Kenshin is slower than Sano and it took me a month just to try and seduce him."
"Really?"
"Well actually we were sleeping together before we actually commited, but that is beside the point!! Now, you have come to your wise sister-like figure for advice on your love life, so listen up!!"
"Hai, continue," Kaoru urged.
"One, is your attire. You have to deepen the neck line, and hike up that kimono!!" she ordered.
"Demo...... that's indecent!" she protested.
"Not for the sort of thing you'll be doing after!!" she answered wickedly, "Ohohohohohoho!!!!"
"Megumi-san......"
"Shut up and listen, tanuki!! Second!! Get him alone, you have to totally get rid of Yahiko," she told her.
"How do I do that?"
"One word: Tsubame."
"Wait a second, you're suggesting that we use Tsubame-chan to get rid of Yahiko-chan?"
"Hai, that's what I said. I will talk to Tae and Tsubame as soon as you leave and you will tell Yahiko that he is to work with Tsubame tomorrow at ten until late. Tell him he might ahve to stay overnight at the Akabeko. And I want you to come over here at nine tomorrow, got it?" she asked.
"Yeah, I got it, but I don't see how this will work...."
"Still doubting me? I'm a master at seduction, don't worry!" Megumi assured her, "Just don't be late tomorrow!! I don't know how long it will take to make you look, well using one of my favorite words, seductive. Sano will be our test drive."
"Oh, Kami help me......."
So the next day she had made her way to Megumi's place around nine.
"I'm here," she called. Megumi came out with her hair up, a look of fierce determination plastered on her face.
"Uh oh," Kaoru whispered.
"Come on, Kaoru-chan," she said, a smirk forming on her ruby lips.
"Do I have to....?" she asked in a small whimper.
"Yes," she answered, pulling her into the next room. There were an assortment of kimonos laid out on the floor.
"Ano.... what are those for?" she wondered out loud.
"For you."
"Nani?!"
"Yes, these all can be adjusted in terms of length and neck line," she smiled a sly smile, "Ohohohoho!!"
"Megumi!" she turned a lovely shade of red.
"Now, what is Ken-san's favorite color?" Megumi mused, looking at all the kimonos.
"I'd say pink," Sano said coming in.
"Oh! I don't need you yet," Megumi told him.
"And I thought you 'needed' me for something....." he said.
"You are so naughty! This is for Kaoru-chan!!"
"Like I said, pink," he repeated.
"Um, it's not pink, it's magenta de gozaru yo," Kaoru said, smiling shyly.
"Oh yes, how could we forget that?"
"Anyway, I have some pretty pink/magenta ones here, that way you two could match!! How cute!!" she beamed.
"Oh great....."
"Go try that one on!" Megumi urged, pointing to a rose colored kimono with a magenta obi.
"Demo, that neck line..." she whispered, eyes wide, cheeks red.
"DO IT!!!"
"Ye-yes, ma'am!!" she stuttered, before hurrying out with the kimono in her hands. She came back minutes later, fuming.
"Oh, Kaoru-chan!!" Megumi exclaimed upon seeing her. The neckline was plunging, revealing plenty of her cleavage, but the length was that of a normal kimono.
"I'm not wearing it," she spat through gritted teeth.
"Yes, you are!! Sano, what do you say?" Megumi corrected her.
"I think that Jou-chan looks pretty hot!! If I wasn't taken, I'd say, let's go do somethin--"
WHACK!!
"Well you are!! Stop flirting!!! Stupid tori atama!!"
"Itai fox!!!"
"Well, I'm changing now!!"
"Hold it!!!!!" she froze.
"You're not changing, for that is the one I choose for you to wear!!!" she laughed, "Ohohohohohoho!!! Ken-san won't be able to resist you!!!"
"Demo, Megumi-san...."
"NO MORE BUTS!!!! You're doing this tanuki!!!! That is final!!!!!!!" she yelled. Kaoru sighed. She wasn't getting out of this one.
"Now, take this," she handed her a ribbon and an assortment of hairclips, "And this." She then shoved a ton of makeup in her other hand.
"Megumi-san, what is this for?"
"The last touches of course!!" she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Huh?" she asked, confused.
"Oh, come on!! Sano, you can leave!"
"Sure thing," he said, leaving as instructed. Being commited to Megumi had taught him one thing. It wasn't wise to argue with that woman. Especially when she had her mind set.
"Good, now Kaoru-chan, the two things I didn't mention yesterday were: your hair, and makeup," she said, still smiling widely.
"Um, I like my hair in a ribbon," Kaoru told her uncertainly.
"I know, that's why I have it, but I doubt I'll use it, I have different plans," she grinned.
"Great."
So two hours later, Kaoru came out with Megumi. She had a small amount of pink lip balm applied to her lips and a dusting of eyeshadow. Her hair was pulled up in two black chopsticks.
"Hot damn, Jou-chan," Sano commented. She promptly decked him.
"Thank you Kaoru-chan, I wasn't within swing range," she told her.
"No problem, he was asking for it," she smiled for the first time since she had gotten there.
"Now, you should go to Ken-san!!!" Megumi urged, pushing her out of the door.
"Come on tori atama," she whispered as the younger girl walked out.
"We're gonna follow her?"
"Of course!!"
"This should be good."
Kaoru was having her doubts as she walked home.
'Will he like it? Or will he laugh at me and tell me that I was trying to hard? Oh, I just don't know!!' she sighed and silently cursed Megumi as she swung the gate open.
"Tadaima," she called, tiredly.
"Okaeri nasai!!!!" Kenshin returned, coming out to greet her. What he saw shocked him into silence.
"Mou, don't just stare! It wasn't my idea to begin with!!" she whined, moving past him.
"What's her problem?!" Megumi whispered disbelievingly.
"Maybe she didn't want any help," Sano suggested. She smacked him, the noise echoing in the now silent courtyard.
"Oro?" Kenshin let out, moving closer to the bushes.
"Look what you did, stupid tori atama!!!" she hissed.
"ME?! You're the one who hit me!!" he retorted, standing up.
"What are you doing?! Kaoru-chan will never forgive us for spying on her!!!" she told him.
"Megumi-dono? Sano?"
"Ah!!!! Ken-san!! You scared me," Megumi said, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"What are you two doing here de gozaru ka?" he asked, smiling slightly.
"Umm," Megumi fidgeted, not wanting to give her mastermind plan away.
"No reason really!!" she lied, putting on an obvious fake smile.
"Give it up and tell him," Sano told her.
"No!! This is all for Kaoru-chan!! I'm not gonna sit here and blow it for her!!!!" she argued.
"Tell sessha what?" he asked.
"Nothing!!!" she lied again.
"Look, Kenshin, Jou-chan wanted to express her feelings so she went to Megitsune for help. She helped her do everything and here we all are," he explained in one breath.
"Stupid!! You weren't supposed to tell him!!!"
"Oro......" he was still taking in the information. She had feelings for him.......
"Kenshin?" Sano asked.
"Sessha has to go find Kaoru-dono, that he does," he said, rushing off a huge smile plastered on his face.
"Kaoru-dono!!!" he called down the hall.
"Hmm? Hai, Kenshin?" she asked.
"Are wa...... sessha," he stuttered.
"Hmm?" she urged.
"I love you Kaoru," those simple words, reduced her to a pile of tears as she clutched his gi in her hands. He smiled and embraced her as she repeatedly whispered the words 'ashiteru.' He cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips to hers......
End Flashback>
"Kaoru? Daijoubu ka?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. She'd been spacing out for the last ten minutes or so.
"Oh, I'm fine, just thinking," she answered, smiling.
"Is Himura-san here?" a new voice came.
"Ah, chief, what brings you here?" Kenshin asked.
"Perhaps we should discuss this in another room," he said.
"I'll make some tea," Kenshin offered, as Kaoru ushered him to another room.
"So?"
"I'm afraid that war has broken out in Aizu," he said seriously, "Things have become increasingly dangerous and it seems that we need a professional's help."
"Meaning you would like me to help fight," Kenshin concluded with a sigh. Kaoru had been asked to stay outside.
"Yes. Things have been looking grim for Tokyo and don't appear to be getting any better," he said.
"I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?"
"Tokyo has become involved and if you don't help, it will only be a matter of time before it is targeted," he told him.
"I understand."
"You leave by train tomorrow morning, five o'clock."
"I understand."
"Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, when he emerged from the room looking downcast.
"Kenshin?" she asked again, when he didn't respond.
"Kaoru-dono," he regarded her.
"Kenshin?" she was now seriously worried, "What happened?"
"Kaoru, I....." he started, "I have to go away for a while. I can't promise that I'll be back."
"Ken..... shin? Doushite?"
"There is a war occuring in Aizu, sessha must go," he answered.
"Kenshin........" she said, tears now clouding her vision.
"Kaoru, aishiteru," he whispered, kissing her forehead, before walking out the gate.
"KENSHIN!!!" she screamed. It was too much like the first time. He hadn't promised he'd return to her. He hadn't even given her a chance to express her feelings in turn. He was gone.
Owari (maybe)
A/N: hmmm, can't decide wheather or not to end it here, maybe i should make it a 2-shot? prehaps.... u REVIEW and tell me, ne? i'd like it..... i most definately would be nice....