***The characters used in this work are the copyrighted property of their original creator. I do not seek profit from my writing. I would prefer that you did not copy my work, but I can't stop you.**
Angle brackets denote italics, which denote thoughts, emphasis, or narration according to context.
For some reason, people really seemed to like my role-reversal fics. Someone even suggested a Kenshin-Kaoru version. I think that's a really great idea, so that's what I'm going to do. Enjoy, and send your C&C to lechuza@herzeleid.net .
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[SPAMFIC] [WAFF] Role Reversal, V. 2 (Kenshin x Kaoru)
Morning dawned on the Kamiya Dojo, creating a wash of gold-and-silver light over everything. All was quiet except for the birds and the sounds of water sloshing as Kenshin set to work on the laundry. But the peace never lasted.
"YAHIKO!"
"Go away, busu. It's too early to get up."
There was a yelp as Kaoru's foot connected with Yahiko's side. He glared at her, and then got up from his futon.
"What was the point of that? You don't even want me to practice! You just use me to clean the floor."
Kenshin listened to the argument with a faint smile, his hands immersed in the soapy laundry. He was a picture of absolute domestication as he scrubbed a stain from one of the garments, humming quietly to himself. Nothing could have been more unlike the legendary Hitokiri Battousai whose name was still discussed endlessly throughout Japan.
With a contented sigh, Kenshin removed one sheet from the washtub and wrung it out. Then he snapped it taut.
"Nice and white!" His smile turned even friendlier as Kaoru padded out into the front yard, a dazed Yahiko leaning against the doorjamb with a head full of bumps from her wooden sword.
"Good morning, Kaoru-dono. Would you like some breakfast? It's almost ready."
Kaoru watched the rurouni as he puttered around in the kitchen, finishing the meal. The smells wafting from the wok were savory with the aroma of daikon. She constantly found herself wondering how it was possible for a powerful warrior to be such an effective housewife.
The spiced miso and rice tasted as good as they smelled. Kenshin sat across the low table from her, quietly shoveling food into his mouth with his chopsticks. She had to admit that his cooking was a huge improvement over hers.
After breakfast, Kaoru wandered back into the courtyard to practice. She ordered Yahiko to do several hundred repetitions of a basic swing, and set to work.
Damn it, where's my shinai? Frowning, Kaoru looked around for her favorite sword, but it was nowhere to be seen. Outside of the bokken, which were not suitable for practice, and the one Yahiko was using, the dojo had no other swords. Then, a flash of silver metal caught her eye.
Kenshin's sakaba, sheathed, lay against the wall just outside his room. It was odd to see the weapon away from its masterlike the string on a spinning-top separated from the toy. Kaoru found her fingertips itching slightly. She'd only held it once, the first time she met Kenshin. She found herself wondering how heavy the sword was, what it would be like to swing it in the high, lightning arcs of Hiten Misturugi Ryu. To be able to jump and deliver devastating but non-killing blows the way he did.
The sword was drawn into her fingers as though they were magnetic. Indeed, it was much heavier than her shinai, but it somehow felt comfortable to her. It was like holding a part of Kenshin, or hiding him behind her as he protected her from evil, as he had so many times. The ethereal swordsong of blade and saya hummed and tickled in her ears as she drew the weapon, watching the fluid sunlight glisten and run off it, as though it had been dipped in pale, molten gold.
Kaoru held the sword for a long time, trying to snap her it to guard stance with the same graceful fluidity Kenshin always managed. But it was too heavy for her, and her arm began aching before long. With a sigh, she re-sheathed it and propped it back up against the building.
Back in the courtyard, Kenshin was again finishing laundry. His hair had begun to fall into his face, which was very irritating in the summer sunlight. When he reached back to gather it back up into its loose ponytail, the leather band he had been using to hold it up frayed away into shreds. Groaning, he ran his fingers through the silky red mass and went to find Kaoru.
She was in her room, sorting through a box of trinkets. Kenshin poked his head in and called her name.
Kaoru looked up, blinking at the sight of the rurouni with his beautiful scarlet hair down. The temptation to grab his ponytail, pull it loose, and run her fingers through it was never very far from her mind. His sweet smile didn't diminish the attraction, either.
"Kaoru-dono, may I please borrow a hair ribbon? My hair band broke, and this mess is unmanageable."
With a brief flash of sunlight, Kaoru appeared as a raccoon. But then she was Kaoru again, with a silly smile.
"Sure. In fact, why don't you come over here and let me fix it up for you?"
"Ummm" Despite himself, Kenshin realized that he liked the idea. Smiling again, he sat down on the tatami in front of Kaoru and let her go to work.
She had amazing skill with hair. Her ebony comb drew through his long red locks as gently as the breeze would, carefully unfurling each and every tangle. She drew the contact out for a long time, making sure her fingers got their fill of the touch of his hair and scalp. Finally, she pulled out her favorite blue ribbon, relieved of its bloodstains through Kenshin's careful scrubbing, and used it to tie his hair into a high ponytail. His face and neck felt cool, relieved to have the heavy weight of his beautiful hair removed. To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a warm hug.
"There. Much better. And if you get anything on the ribbon this time I'll kill you for sure."
Kenshin laughed and simply enjoyed her hug for a moment, before going back outside to finish hanging up the wash. Kaoru's hair ribbon was silky and comfortable, even as it warmed slightly in the hot sunlight. And contentment reigned throughout the dojo.
But not for long.