Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or Samsonite.
The Consequences of Falling in Love
Chapter one: Returning home
Kaoru woke up from her light slumber in her seat as she heard the voice of the air stewardess inform the passengers that the airplane was about to start descending. The female voice of the air hostess continued with the request for the passengers to fold up the trays in front of them and put their seats in an upright position. Kaoru obeyed the enquiry and then yawned as she stretched in her seat and turned her sapphire blue eyes to the small window to her right. She saw thin veils of clouds float by outside and far below the plane, she could see the greyish blue of the ground unfold beneath the tin wisps of fog. Kaoru felt a tingling sensation in her stomach as the plane successively lost altitude and she swallowed a couple of times to even the pressure that was softly weighing down her eardrums. She loved the feelings take offs and landings provided: the tickling feeling in the stomach and the way the body felt heavy against the seat as the airplane gained or lost altitude depending on if it was ascending or descending. She always felt sort of elated during these parts of the journey, otherwise it was somewhat tedious to travel long distances. And sitting over eight hours in an airplane wasn't Kaoru's idea of a particularly short flight although she knew it could have been worse had she taken a flight with a different route.
At long last the wheels of the airplane connected with the asphalt of the runway and the plane slowly slowed down. Again the female voice of the stewardess was heard as she asked the passengers to remain in their seats until the plane had completely stopped. The plane slowly rolled to a gate and soon after the stewardesses opened the doors. Passengers started stirring and lifting down their hand luggage from the luggage racks above the seats. Kaoru lifted down her navy blue samsonite cabin bag and her thin black cotton coat. She put the coat over her arm and shouldered her black handbag. With a sigh she lifted the cabin bag and started towards the exit.
"Sayonara." The stewardesses bid her and bowed.
"Sayonara." She replied with a brilliant smile.
She had to wait for about fifteen minutes before the passengers suitcases started to fill the luggage belt. After another five minutes she spotted the navy blue suitcase and dragged it down from the belt, her face frowning from the weight of it.
"Umph" She muttered. 'I sure packed this thing to the breaking-point of what it can hold.' She thought, slightly creasing her eyebrows together and forming her lips in a thin line. She pulled out the handles of the large suitcase and the small cabin bag and started pulling the suitcase behind her and pushing the smaller bag in front of her as she made her way to the arrival hall.
Her eyes roamed the hall for the familiar faces she was expecting. Suddenly, in the corner of her right eye, she noticed a slender figure bouncing towards her.
"Kaoru!" The happy girl exclaimed and threw herself around Kaoru's neck, almost making them topple over but Kaoru managed to steady herself. She hugged the girl back.
"Welcome home Kaoru-chan, we've all missed you!" The girl breathed out between giggles.
"Thank you Misao." Kaoru replied. "I've missed you too.." She said moved, smiling as a tear trickled down her left cheek. She felt as if her heart would burst with joy. She was finally home again and it felt good to be hugged by her cheerful cousin.
"Misao! Let her breathe!" A male voice rasped to Kaoru's right. She recognised that voice. Misao let go and Kaoru turned to the elderly man with a smile that made her eyes squint together.
"Gramps!" She exclaimed happily, more tears edging their way out of her eyes.
"There, there." Her grandfather Okina said as he opened his arms. She stepped forward and let her herself be embraced by his warm arms. "Why the tears? Aren't you happy to be back in Japan?" He asked as he stroked her hair in a soothing manner.
"Yes." She smiled through her tears burying her face in her grandfather's paletot. "That's why I'm crying."
"He he he, you always were the emotional one, eh Jou-chan?" A second male voice spoke to her left side. She raised her head and looked in to the smiling chocolate brown eyes of her older cousin.
"Sanosuke!" She breathed merrily releasing herself from her grandfather's comforting hold. She instead tiptoed and flung her arms around Sanosukes neck and smiled brightly.
His eyes sparkled with mischief as he encircled her waist and lifted her up and swung her around 360ยบ, then put her down and stepped back slightly but still holding his arms around her.
"You look well!" he said with a big smile in his face.
"Thanks!" she answered with a weary smile. "Although, I don't feel like I look my best after my long flight." She sighed as she stroked her eyelids with her left thumb and index finger.
"Well, I guess we'd better be on our way home then. So you can get some rest as soon as possible." Okina said, turning towards the airport's exit. "Sanosuke you take the suitcase, Misao you take the small bag." He told them as he led the way out of the building. They soon found the car, a silvery Honda CR-V, in the parking lot and opened the luggage trunk to put in Kaoru's suitcases.
"Hu-up!" Sanosuke huffed as he hoisted her suitcase in the trunk. "Why do girls always have to pack so much!" He exclaimed. It was more of a statement than a question.
Kaoru immediately frowned and hissed through clenched teeth. "You would also pack a lot of stuff if you moved to another country!" She punched him on his upper left arm with her own right fist. He didn't seem to take any notice of it; he just chuckled slightly and patted her shoulder lightly, which made Kaoru even more aggravated.
"Ah, well!" Misao said cheerfully. "Maybe the things making the suitcase heavy are presents for us!"
At this Sanosuke looked hopefully at Kaoru with big shiny eyes. She couldn't resist smiling. He looked like a kid on Christmas waiting expectantly to open up his presents.
She answered with a smug smile curving her lips and a mischievous look in her eyes. "Well maybe it or maybe it isn't." Then she started giggling and climbed in to the right side of the back seat of the SUV. Sanosuke took control of the steering wheel while Misao scrambled in beside Kaoru. Okina seated himself on the passenger seat in front of Misao and off they went.
Kaoru looked out the window, watching the scenery of the bluish grey sky above the buildings they passed as they sped past other cars. She was tired and she hadn't slept much on the plane. The last thing Kaoru thought before the gentle humming of the car lulled her to sleep was 'I'm finally home again.'