Kabuki

By hye-kyo

Disclaimer: No, Rurouni Kenshin and all its characters are not mine.

Author's Notes: I know, I know. I have been lazy. I haven't updated most of my fics yet. I will soon promise, I just had too much on my plate these months (and still have a lot). Hopefully I'll be able to updated more these coming days.

Read and review!

To say that he was surprised was an understatement. On Tanabata, as he and the rest of his makeshift family was …erm… having lunch at the Akebeko (while trying not to gawk too much at Kaoru's white face and colorful ensemble), it was on a festival anyway and Kaoru-dono said that once in a while they have to treat themselves to good food, Kaoru-dono decidedly stood up and announced that she has to go somewhere else and could the rurouni please accompany her?

Confused Kenshin followed suit, wondering about the sudden seriousness in her tone, in her walk, in the way she fixed her hair. He followed without asking, he was much too confused already to be able to talk anyway.

Her sudden halt almost had him smacking against her back. Good thing he had a good number of years of sword and kenjutsu training behind him that he managed to stop in time. Her sudden turn however was something he was not ready about. He had never thought he had stopped too close that upon turning around, her face was a mere couple of inches away from his. He jumped away in reflex which, he was a bit uncertain since her facial expression changed much faster, made her frown. The moment he regained his composure she was poker-faced.

"Kaoru-dono?" he asked, in case this wasn't Kaoru-dono. His mind went into overdrive. What if she wasn't? What would she do? Enishi again? No, he had dealt with him a long time ago, the Enishi chapter was over. Surely, such strange behavior from Kaoru since morning had made him jumpy throughout the day.

He was quite taken aback when she showed up that morning all made up; Yahiko commented on how tacky her new kimono was though of course he didn't think it was that tacky, a bit too colorful for her taste yes but not tacky. And her hair, even Sano decided it was weird, though Sano wasn't really someone who looks at physical appearances. And her white face and decidedly red pout which made him painfully aware of Kaoru's lack of knowledge in society, even a person such as himself would think it was fit only for the stage.

Her weirdness had even gone beyond her clothes and hair to her voice. He almost jumped in surprise when, on the particular morning as he was finishing making breakfast he heard a little voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"Kenshin," her little voice again. He was cut off from his musings and upon raising his head he found out she had closed the distance between them and was standing too close. He stepped back. He could see her white face and red mouth and all he could think of was that kaidan he was told about when he was still young and how he was not able to sleep after the story and even nights after that. No, this was bad. He could feel a laugh coming from deep down his diaphragm, a real hearty laugh that would last for a while. And he heard her calling his name again.

"H-hai Kaoru-dono?" he took a step back, tears forming along the corner of his eyes.

She wondered why he was jumpy today, perhaps her new look was making him fidgety, perhaps he was trying hard not to pounce on her like she was some piece of meat and him a hungry tiger. She giggled inwardly, oh he could so pounce on her now alright.

She had decided today was the day and that any other day later than today would not do. She had consulted with some Chinese locals at the market and was given a go signal for today was an auspicious day, any endeavor would yield positive results. Further they said white and red were the lucky colors of the day and that in fact if worn near the facial area would prove more fortunate. Wear something really colorful around the body area they said and so she bought some new fabric but since she was low on the budget she purchased something really cheap. And then she had decided to buy some rouge and this morning, she saw the effects. Kami, how startled was her rurouni. She knew that by the end of today, Kamiya would no longer be her surname.

So to sum it all up she bought a ring, since she knew Kenshin wouldn't probably do that in another ten years, and decided that today is the day she'll find her happiness.

So when he took a turn as she took a step forward, she was suddenly very confused. And just to test again, she took another step towards him and immediately he took another step back. Her heart almost stopped.

"Kenshin?" She tried to look at him straight in the eye and found that he wasn't looking. Moreover, his face was contorted into something akin to disgust and she watched more as it twisted again, making him look like he was about to laugh out loud but trying not to which caused her heart to palpitate wildy in her chest. What had she done? Didn't she follow everything the Chinese locals said? She called his name again and stepped closer and he immediately stepped back.

"H-hai Kaoru-dono?" he took a step back. He looked like he was about to really burst. Tears were forming in the corner of his eyes.

And he suddenly laughed out loud, startling the people in the surrounding stalls, and people started whispering to each other. He tried to mumble out some words but his words were incoherent.

"Kaoru-dono," laugh, "Face," laugh, "Funny," laugh, "Don't joke," laugh, "Please" laugh more.

Of course she was no fool to not get it. Involuntarily she lifted her hands up to touch her face. Did she look that funny to him? And she caught the sight of a bystander laughing. She couldn't think, people were laughing, their voices were drowning her thoughts. She watched her rurouni, tears on his eyes, she could see he was trying hard to stop but he just couldn't. Involuntarily, as her mind stopped working and her reflexes took over, she did what little instinct of self-preservation was left in her: she ran away.

Kaoru-dono didn't come until it was almost morning. Kenshin hadn't a sleep. That afternoon it rained and all the while he waited for her on the porch, Sano told him not to worry—Kaoru wouldn't run away he said, who was she? You?, to which Kenshin frowned—he heard a couple walking past. They were laughing, saying that the kenjutsu teacher living in that dojo was looking weird earlier today and did they see the expression on the redhead she was with?

Kenshin's heart sank. He knew it was his fault. He could list all his faults and the list would go on forever. He had stood there by the gate, an open umbrella over his head and a closed one on his other hand. The rain stopped by mid-evening. By then, most lamplights were out and he decided to look for her.

He went to almost all the places he thought she would go to. But she was nowhere to be found. It drizzled lightly. By dawn he had found her standing by the gate of the dojo, her hair, clothes and skin were damp.

"Kaoru-dono," he said, the closed umbrella was dripping.

She turned to look at him, the rain had washed off her makeup. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked like she was about to cry again.

"Where were you? Sessha was—"

"Here," she threw something at him. It caught the light and glistened, then he realized it was a ring.

"Kaoru-dono…"

She looked mad, her lips were set in a thin line as if trying not to cry.

"Kaoru-dono…" he picked up the ring, it was a simple gold band. He brought his eyes in level with hers.

"I was going to propose to you," she said between gritted teeth, "But I know now. I don't need it anymore. Throw it away if you like." She turned around and pushed the gate open.

He felt as if his heart was being wrenched out of his chest. Dropping the umbrella, he immediately caught her hand, pulled her close and grasped her back with his free arm. An embrace would not compensate for all the things he had done. But he cannot do anything else than try. He had already failed anyway.

"If you think this will work you're wrong," she hissed, breath hot against his chest. She was shaking, her fingers digging into his hand, punishing him, hurting him, cursing him. "I'm going to hit you again and again until people do not recognize you anymore."

Inwardly he squirmed because he knew Kaoru never made empty threats. The last time she threatened Sano with a broken hip and bleeding nose, she followed through swiftly, precisely, and from then on Sano and Yahiko had steered clear away from her when she's in a not so good mood.

And his sense of self-preservation is telling him right now to leave and run with what little time he has until Kaoru, in all her rage, track him down all over Japan.

But he didn't. And he waited.

He felt her move; he swallowed, saw her raise a hand and he cringed, closed his eyes and waited for the blow to come. But it didn't. He opened his eyes. She had turn her back to him and was starting for the gate.

"Kaoru-dono," he almost croaked.

"I don't hate you," she said in a low voice, "I don't hate you if that's what you're concerned about. I'm not going to throw you out."

A/n: So what do you think, might add another chapter or two more or maybe not. I think it could stand alone well on its own...but what do you think?