Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.
Always and Forever
By: Mika Saito
Chapter 1- Memories
"Kaoru, darling, are you listening?" A voice drifted into Kaoru's thoughts, though they didn't accomplish their purpose. They only served to push her deeper into her memories.
"Kaoru…""Kaoru, my love… are you listening closely?"
"Yes." Kaoru answered the redheaded man while wiping her tears away.
"I'll love you always. Always and forever, I promise."
"But, what about…" More tears found their way down her pale cheeks.
"Shh." A soft pressure on Kaoru's lips stopped her. "Just listen." He slowly removed his finger from her lips as she nodded.
"Even when you move away, I'll always love you. And when you finally return, I'll be here waiting for you." Kaoru smiled. Her arms immediately finding their way around the man's neck.
"I promise I'll return to you one day, Kenshin." She whispered into his neck. Kenshin smiled warmly, granting her unspoken request for comfort, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
"Kaoru!" Kaoru gasped in surprise, her eyes losing the glazed over look her memories had left.
"I'm sorry Enishi, what were you saying?" Kaoru apologized, her eyes roaming over his handsome face. His silver hair was of stark contrast to his tanned skin, and his pale turquoise eyes, how she loved the color of his eyes. Blue, like her own, only lighter, and holding such sadness hidden behind the loving look he was giving her that they compelled Kaoru to reach out a delicate hand to brush a silver lock away from them.
Enishi caught her hand and held it lightly between his own, studying it as he spoke.
"Now that I have your attention, I need to ask you something important." Kaoru watched him expectantly, patiently waiting for him to just ask the question.
"Kaoru, will you marry me?" Something cold slipped over Kaoru's finger. Her eyes widened, Enishi's words sinking in slowly.
"I… Yes!" Kaoru threw her arms around Enishi happily. "Yes I'll marry you." Enishi picked her up bridal style, his mouth seeking her own. Kaoru giggled against his lips.
"You had this in mind the whole time, huh?" Kaoru asked after breaking the kiss.
"Yes. I've loved you since I first met you, here, in this very city. It only seemed right that I should ask you to marry me in the same place we met." Kaoru giggled again and snuggled up to the warmth of Enishi's body.
"You're a hopeless romantic, you know that?" Kaoru pulled away to look into his eyes.
"Anything to please you, my love."
Kaoru, my love…Kaoru ignored the memories running through her mind. She had pushed the images to the back of her mind before, after her father had forced her to move away to America.
In the five years since then she had managed to forget about most of the unpleasant memories of her good-byes with her friends. Until recently they had stayed forgotten, but her trip to Japan after meeting Enishi had brought many of them to the surface, mainly memories of a red haired man and herself.
The mans name, although spoken many times in the memories, had slipped her mind whenever the memory faded into the back of her mind again.
"We should visit your father in Kyoto to tell him the good news." Enishi's voice brought Kaoru out of her unintended reverie.
"Yes. Father with be thrilled." Kaoru squirmed; the way Enishi was holding her was getting uncomfortable. "You can let me down now." Kaoru teased, squirming again as if to prove her point.
"Why should I let you go?" Enishi asked, though he let her stand on her own.
"You don't have to let me go, just let me stand on my own."
"So I can do this?" Enishi suddenly grabbed Kaoru and pulled her tight against his chest.
"Yes, you can if you want to, but I still have to breathe you know." Kaoru tried to pull away, but Enishi wouldn't let her. Enishi chuckled lightly before he let her go.
"Thank you." Kaoru mumbled. She glared at Enishi for a moment before she turned around and left the room. Enishi followed her into the kitchen and watched as she grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and filled it with water.
"We should leave in a couple of days." Enishi said, catching Kaoru by surprise. "We'll go to Kyoto first, to tell your father the news. Then we can visit my parents in Tokyo."
AN: Let me know whom you think Kaoru should be with, Kenshin or Enishi.