A/N: Hello, loyal readers! Welcome to the final installment of the Trilogy! Maybe when I finish this, I can finally focus on my other fics (Before the fans of those hurt me. Lots. Heh) and even work on my originals a bit. –grin-
The Story To Date:
Kamiya Kaoru was kidnapped in the dead of night by Himura Battousai in her mansion. She was held captive in his apartment, where she tried to attack him with knives, and showed herself to have not only Disassociative Identity Disorder, but Leukemia and a wickedly abusive father. Battousai took a strange liking to her, which Sagara Sanosuke – the Syndicate's resident brawn, noticed. Sano ended up being shown as Kaoru's old babysitter.
Finally, they met the leader – Seijirou Hiko. He ordered Kaoru killed, but Battousai found himself asking for her. Generally meaning that in Syndicate terms, she's bound to him, much like a priceless bracelet. Literal translation: HANDS OFF.
Kaoru's Leukemia flared, and they were forced to find a bone-marrow donor. Luckily, Kenshin was a match and without hesitation gave the bone marrow that saved Kaoru's life. But the badness didn't stop there.
Fist Hiruma Gohei tried to assault her, but Kaoru managed to scream and Kenshin cheerfully showed the shiny side of his sword off.
Soon after, Makoto Shishio attacked. He kidnapped Kaoru, and cut her to ribbons with his knives. But Kenshin found them due to a tracking device placed by Megumi oh-so-skillfully during the surgery that saved Kaoru. He whooped up on Shishio until said bas guy took a hike for later plot-development.
Kenshin found out about Kamiya Koshijirou's twitchiness and the fact that Kaoru was adopted. That was when he thought he killed off Koshijirou and ended up adding Soujiro to his circle of friends.
Soon after, they were ordered by Nobuhiro Watsuki to infiltrate a highschool and get some informational-file-things for the Syndicate. The math teacher found Kaoru snooping and almost shot her, but Soujiro stepped in and killed the man, then placed him in the ceiling and took Kaoru with him to a tea-shop, where they discussed, and Kaoru was informed that not only was her last name truly 'Agarais', but Soujiro was in her older brother.
Sano and Kenshin found the body and general badness ensued. When they were all reunited, general normality was restored peacefully. However, when Kaoru was grilling Soujiro for answers and Sano was out keeping himself amused, Kenshin went and killed. But when a droplet of blood found it's way to his lips, Battousai shattered Kenshin's control and brought himself into power.
At that point, he tricked Soujiro into leaving and forced Kaoru to accept himself and Kenshin as one entity – one entity she trusts. However, just before he tried anything funny…Aoshi and Sano burst in, announcing a syndicate war.
Kaoru was freed to go after Misao and the pair drove to the Akabeko. There they fought with Henya and started to fight Kamatari. But their attention was drawn by the battle.
Then Kaoru saw Kenshin fall, got snatched by Saitou. However, Kenshin wasn't dead and killed Shishio by cleaving him. War over. Kenshin wins.
And then he followed Kaoru and found her and Misao. And Koshijirou. He tried to make Kaoru balk, but instead she switched personalities and became Akuma, pretty well telling him to go boil 'imself.
And then they found out Soujiro was in a box. They saved him, and ended up with Tsubame as well.
Kenshin went on a bit of a memory kick…and then Saitou ended up being a good and friendly-ish guy.
Finally, Kenshin was ordered by Hiko to kill Kaoru. He ALMOST did as he was ordered, but luckily enough Kaoru had the sense to just grab him and kiss him, thereby snapping him into reality.
Nearby, Soujiro and Tsubame had gone to see 'Finding Nemo' and on their way back, Tsubame got overeager and ran ahead, right into the path of a van. But without hesitation, Soujirou dove forth and pushed her out of the way, taking the attack head-on himself and dropping to the ground, cracking his head hard.
The paramedics came and pulled Soujiro out of the street and into the hospital. Sano called Kenshin and Kaoru and informed them of the problem, and both went to the hospital. There, Megumi began to announce Soujiro's state. Brain Dead, yes or no?
It ended up being a 'no', just in a coma.
Then Jinae came and kidnapped Kaoru. Jinae was killed by a bullet aimed for Kenshin when Kaoru broke the Shino Wipou herself with pure worry for Kenshin spiking her Ki incredibly.
They return to the hospital and Kaoru talks Soujiro out of his wicked coma.
Then Shishio's daughter Wren is introduced, Kidnapped, and then ends up with an extreme fever and heads into the hospital. There, Enishi lets loose with some sort of evil powdered death called 'Jinchuu' that takes Kaoru – who has a slight fever, down. And nearly kills Wren and Kaoru both. So Enishi calls. And they agree to meet.
And then Mera tries to get out, so Sano wrestles her down and convinces her that they're secret government agents and she has to stay put and not say anything.
Enishi comes and kidnaps Kaoru in return for saving everyone with the lovely peach-blossom cure.
Everyone follows him to an island to save her.
They get there. Enishi attacks. Enishi beats the crap out of Kenshin.
Kaoru gets ticked and lets loose with murderous Kurai.
Kurai kills Enishi. They put Kenshin in the hospital. Kenshin gets all healed up.
Kaoru gets sent to America. Soon after, Hiko follows and kills Crystal, her only friend. Kaoru immediately heads back – two years later.
She meets up with everyone again.
Kenshin finds out that Hiko is evil and all of the honourable stuff he was taught was a bunch of hogwash and meant NOTHING.
Kenshin tries to kill himself. But because he's Kaoru's soulmate, can feel her anguish. So he prays for a miracle, and is sent back with a second chance. This is a lucky thing. They go out to dinner when he's released.
Watsuki puts out a hit on Kenshin, Sano, Soujiro, and Kaoru.
He asks Kaoru to marry him.
(Yes. I got sort of tired towards the end. Lol.)
Solace
Chapter One: Shining Star
There was an incredibly long pause, Kaoru unable to complete her sentence and the other dancers and restaurant patrons awaiting Kaoru's reply eagerly. Eventually, Kenshin got impatient.
Very gently he prodded her verbally, "You…what, Kaoru?"
Fresh tears filled her eyes. The cerulean depths clashed with many emotions; Fear, excitement, shock, pride, and uncertainty.
"Kenshin…" She began hesitantly, struggling to swallow past the sudden lump in her dry throat. Said red-head waited eagerly for the completion of her sentence. "I can't…"
His heart just about stopped in his chest. "You can't, what?" Oh. Lovely. THAT was manly. Kenshin's voice had not only shaken – it'd had the gall to squeak without his permission.
Kaoru immediately took pity on poor Kenshin and took his hand gently. "I can't give you an answer yet, Kenshin. I need to think about it. Is that okay?" The ex-assassin quite literally went weak with relief.
"Alright. Alright – thinking time is okay." Babbling on in that general direction, Kenshin led Kaoru back to the table where Sano and Soujiro waited with cheeky 'we-were-in-on-it' grins. The dancers returned to their business, the thrum of conversation picking up once more.
"So. Ding-ding-dong-ding?" Grinned Sano. There was a pregnant pause as the group stared at him. Two in confusion, and one in amusement.
"Idiot." Soujiro cuffed Sano in a brotherly way across the shoulder. "He means 'Dun-dum-dumdum-dun-dundundun-dum-dun-dun- DUNNN-dun-duh-dum-dum-dumdum'. Y'know, the wedding march."
"Oh!" Kaoru nodded, laughing. "I'm thinking on it."
"I see." Sano chirped. Using his spoon as a pseudo-microphone he turned to Kenshin, "How do you feel about this?"
Without cracking a smile, utterly deadpan, Kenshin regally picked up a breadstick, bringing it to his lips. "Inertia." He snapped off a quick bite.
"Ahh…Inertia?" Soujiro and Kaoru inquired at the same moment, brother and sister imparting identical looks of confusion.
Sano, privy to this joke, grinned with an air of superiority. "Inertia means 'Really nervous and hopeful'."
"What does Newton's first law have to do with nerves?" Kaoru muttered.
Hastily, Kenshin laughed and explained himself. "Well. The law states 'an object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest STAYS at rest unless acted upon by a net force.'."
"We know the law." Soujiro took the sting out of his testy words with a gentle smile.
"Alright. The nervousness and the like, it keeps going and going without a stop, and will only stop when I'm given an answer – the net force. Got it?"
"You two are weird." Kaoru noted with a small grin.
"How did you come UP with that?" Soujiro added.
"Ahh…remember back when we were in highschool?" Some very funny looks from all present.
"…You made that up during that freaky mission?" Kaoru inquired, wanting to clarify.
"Yep!" Sano announced, punctuating his affirmative with a swig from his glass of champagne. Soujiro took a bite of breadstick, just as dinner arrived.
Dinner was a speedy affair, and after Kenshin paid for it the group headed back to the apartment. Kenshin was still trying to get used to it, Sano was aching for a good explosion-filled movie. Yahiko was there waiting for them outside of the door, not having a key.
Everyone headed in, Soujiro and Yahiko to their room, Kenshin to his, Sano pretty much RAN to his room, and Kaoru stayed in the living room for a while. After a bit, Kenshin passed by and gave a polite nod in her direction. Kaoru smiled quietly.
She wasn't just sitting, she was contemplating. Kaoru knew that the answer should be EASY after all they'd gone through together. But…she was frightened. What if she said yes, and they got married, and Kenshin got killed? He had to have tons of enemies! And with the syndicate following them…
Strands of music wafted from Soujiro's room. He was playing his electric guitar softly, the warbling and sad sound echoing in the apartment. Kaoru recognized it as 'Winter Sonata'.
'If I don't take advantage of the time I have with the man I love, I may well lose it!' That realization brought her to her feet. Taking off at a dead run, Kaoru sprinted up four flights of stairs and burst onto the roof.
Kenshin spun, his surprise turning to worry when he saw Kaoru hunched in the doorway, panting. The concern deepened when he saw the tears streaking down her face.
"Kaoru? What's wrong?" He asked, moving forward. Kaoru all but launched herself at him, burying her face in his chest and letting her tear-flow ebb a bit.
"I was worried!" She managed finally.
Kenshin stroked her head, confused. "Why?"
"What if you had died while I was down there contemplating?"
Kenshin got a very funny look on his face. "…that sounds doomsdayish…" He murmured, quirking an eyebrow.
Kaoru smacked his arm, "I'm trying to tell you something!"
"Oh. Right." Kenshin fell silent with a grin.
Kaoru pulled away, eyes still shining. "Soujiro was playing 'Winter Sonata' and I realized that I just COULDN'T let my love get away from me. So Kenshin, yes, I'll marry you."
The ex-assassin let out a war whoop, whipping out the ring and slipping it on to Kaoru's ring-finger in a split second.
Kaoru smiled, tears still dancing at the edges of her eyelashes.
Kenshin tilted her chin up, and pulled her into a gentle kiss that gradually grew a bit more passionate.
A/N: There you go! Chapter one wasn't horribly long, but I'm really tired and can't seem to focus right now. Sooo…yeah…the next few should be longer.