Authors Notes: Okay peeps, this is how it is: I have been reading fanfics for about eight years now and have never actually written one. This will be my first, and I'm doing it on a whim. I would really appreciate some feedback so I know if this is a hobby I should keep up. I welcome both positive and negative reviews, as long as they're constructive. Also, maybe some ideas about where you want this story to go (I'm open to suggestions.)
For perspective, this story takes place post-jinchuu and will probably contain some spoilers.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein were created by Nobuhiru Watsuki and belong to him. This story was created solely for entertainment and no money is being made from it. No copyright infringement is intended.
Flies buzzed lazily around the high grass that jutted up in front of the dojo's porch. It was hot. Few days had been so unbearable that summer—it seemed that even the clouds had disappeared in search of shade. The sky was high and blue, and the July sun beat mercilessly down on the city of Tokyo. Kaoru sat on the cool floorboards of the porch, shaded by the roof's overhang. She leaned against one of the hard timber beams, with one leg bent and the other stretched out; in her left hand she held a cheap paper fan that was adorned with some poorly executed grass-style calligraphy. She was sporting a gi and hakama. She had not planned on exercising or sparring that day, but she had convinced herself that if the weather turned she might change her mind and practice a bit. She knew she was just trying to justify wearing the plain cotton outfit in place of one of her usual summer kimono. Although most of Kaoru's warm-weather kimono were made of thin, cheap silk, they would still be far too oppressive for such a hot and humid afternoon.
Kaoru fanned herself idly, but eventually decided that the air was too thick and the effort ineffective. She let her hand and the fan drop to her lap, and began to drift in and out, casually wondering when Kenshin and Yahiko would return from town. The steady buzzing of insects lulled her to sleep, but after a while the peace was broken by the soft, wooden creaking of the dojo's gate. Kenshin walked in and Yahiko behind him, both carrying cloth bundles containing groceries. As Kenshin shut the gate, Kaoru roused herself and stood, arms akimbo. She smiled as the two approached the porch. She could see that they were both soaked, and wondered what had happened. Kaoru herself was quite damp from sweat, she could feel great beads of perspiration forming on her scalp and making their way sluggishly down her face where they entered her eyes and caused them to sting. But these two were clearly wet for quite another reason. Their clothes were only slightly damp, hanging flatly and limply off of the thin frames, but their hair was quite sodden and stuck out at odd angles. Kaoru suppressed a giggle at the sight of her friends and spoke up cheerfully, "I was wondering what had happened to you two. It's getting late. We should start preparing supper soon… What on earth happened to you anyway?" Kaoru pointed her fan at the sopping swordsmen. Kenshin scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously, whereas Yahiko's demeanor hinted at slight annoyance.
"We're sorry for being late Miss Kaoru, but Yahiko and I decided to take a swim in the river, that we did. It was so hot walking through town that we thought a swim might be a good way to cool off." Kenshin said.
"Yea, nearly all the kids in the city were at hole today, it was crazy!" added Yahiko enthusiastically. His demeanor improved immediately as he spoke. The hole was a popular swimming area for the neighborhood children, particularly the boys. It was a spot off the river where the water backed up, creating a small pond. The hole was deeper than most parts of the river in that area and thus more suited for wading. The boys liked it because it had a rope swing and was hidden by a thin line of trees which helped deter worrisome mothers and annoying sisters. That explained why Kenshin and Yahiko's clothes were dry—they must have stripped down to their undergarments or less, leaving their outerwear on the bank. They would only have been bold enough to do so at the hole, where there was a suitable barrier between them and any passers-by wandering to and from the market.
"Even Akira and his little brothers were there, and you know how his parents are. They barely let him leave the house! It must be so hot that they figured keeping him inside would be more dangerous than letting him swim. They must think he'll blow up if he gets too hot or something," Yahiko continued sarcastically.
Kaoru smiled at Yahiko's bold reasoning and then turned to look at Kenshin. He returned her gaze, paused, and then began, "Well, Miss Kaoru, since we were late how about letting Yahiko and I prepare dinner. We picked up some lovely fish at the market today, and if we don't cook them quickly they'll go bad in this heat."
"Yea, I don't mind helping make dinner—anything to keep ugly out of the kitchen," added Yahiko smugly. Kaoru glared at him in reply, but decided that getting into a full-fledged argument in this temperature would too much trouble. Instead she responded to Kenshin, "Fish sounds great Kenshin, what kind did you buy?"
"Karei. It should go well with some soy sauce, sake, and ginger, don't you think?"
"Oh, that sounds delicious!" Kaoru was visibly excited by the prospect of having some real food for supper. Times were hard all over Japan and the occasions on which they could afford any type of meat were infrequent. They had mostly been sustaining themselves on the large vegetable garden that Kenshin had helped plant in the early spring and white rice. Yahiko spoke up, "Yea that sounds great! Say Kenshin, mind telling me how a wandering bum got to be such a good cook?"
"Hehe, well I don't know, it just comes naturally I guess." Kenshin wanted to get off the subject of cooking as fast as possible since he knew it was a touchy subject with Kaoru. "Miss Kaoru, how about after dinner I draw you a nice cool bath, since you missed swimming today?
"How thoughtful Kenshin! See Yahiko, you should take some tips from Kenshin if you ever want to become a gentleman. No girl will want you if you call them ugly and insult their cooking all the time."
"Aw, what d'you know anyway? You're just a smelly old raccoon-girl," teased Yahiko. It was clear that he was more amused by the direction of this conversation than Kaoru.
"I would watch it if I were you! Just remember whose roof you're living under!"
"Yea, yea, whatever you say ugly. I'm gonna go take a nap before I help Kenshin. You should think about taking one too Kaoru, you need all the beauty sleep you can get!" called Yahiko as he walked past Kaoru into the dojo. He slid the door shut behind him with a loud clap, leaving Kaoru and Kenshin alone in the shade of the porch.
Kenshin sat down at the edge of the porch, crossing his legs. Kaoru resumed her position next to the wooden beam. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, watching the flies dance around in the afternoon sun. Kaoru sighed and rested her head against the timber, lightly closing her eyes. It had only been two weeks since her return from Enishi's island, and things had already returned to normal. Kaoru was worried. She and Kenshin had shared several intimate moments in the days immediately following their return—they had been caught up in their relief of seeing each other again—but routine had set in surprisingly quickly, and much remained unsaid between them. Their conversations over the past few weeks had centered around domestic affairs and had not progressed much farther than friendly chatter. Kenshin knew that they needed to talk as well, but could not seem to find the appropriate time to approach the subject.
Kenshin looked curiously at Kaoru's profile and marked the noticeable improvement in her complexion. She finally looked rested and relaxed—the bags under her eyes had lifted. Kenshin was also feeling quite well. He had sustained several fairly serious wounds in his battle with Enishi, which left him bedridden for three days, but with Megumi's care he had recovered well and had been up and about after a week. Kaoru had not said anything, but when Kenshin said he had gone for a swim, she was slightly concerned. She did not think that so much physical activity would be good for Kenshin while his body was trying to heal; he might reopen a wound or overexert himself. But she supposed he was fine. He always had recovered quickly from injuries.
Kaoru inhaled deeply, and opened her eyes. She slowly sat back up and looked out over the yard, a slight smile on her lips. "I can't believe you two went swimming. Did you use the swing? I can't imagine you swinging from that rope like a ten-year-old," Kaoru said with a chuckle.
"Well to be quite honest, I never intended to use the rope. I just jumped in from one of the rocks on the bank. But some of Sanosuke's gambling buddies were there and they recognized me. They tried to talk me into using the rope-swing, and I couldn't really refuse once they had all the neighborhood kids plus Yahiko egging me on. They were really quite persuasive, that they were," said Kenshin with a smile. Kaoru could imagine the rurouni being teased by a herd of rambunctious young swimmers, and resisting their requests to swing with much "oro"-ing and a few nervous gestures. He probably clung to the rope for dear life, plopping into the water with the grace of a rock. When Kenshin was not being serious he lacked coordination in every respect. Kaoru smiled at the mental image of her friend swinging from the rope.
Silence resumed for a few moments before Kaoru spoke again, "Kenshin, do you think that tonight, when it cools down, we could take a walk? Maybe over to the river or, I don't know…" She avoided his gaze.
"That sounds fine Miss Kaoru," replied Kenshin quietly. "Now I should go hang out these clothes and finish the laundry before I wake Yahiko and start dinner," he said as he stood.
"Okay, thanks Kenshin." She turned to look at him and he smiled slightly. Her gaze fell to her hands as he turned to walk into the dojo. For several minutes she twirled her fan absent-mindedly. She laid it down next to her on the floor boards and squinted at the blue sky. A pair of swans flew low overhead, their white feathers reflecting the bright sunlight. They looked like angels. Kaoru was nervous.
Three hundred years from now
Where will you be, where will I be? -Thay