A Kiss At Sunset
by: MrFoshizzlePro
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.
The sun peeked out from its shelter among the gray clouds, its radiant shine dulled from the early morning storm. All was quiet around the Kamiya dojo this afternoon. Even the tune of birdsong could not be heard. It was truly quiet indeed.
"Done!"
Kaoru wiped the back of her hand on her sweaty forehead and sighed. Long after the storm had begun, Kaoru had kept herself occupied cleaning the inside of the dojo top to bottom. At last, she was finished, and the dojo was shimmering in cleanliness.
She smiled.
"I'd like to see Kenshin clean this good!" she chirped, giggling to herself. A thought sprung in her head suddenly, causing her to look in either direction of herself. "Hey, speaking of which, where is Kenshin anyway?"
As if summoned to answer her question, Yahiko appeared around the corner of the dojo whistling lowly to himself. Kaoru glanced in Yahiko's direction and she asked the young boy, "Um...Yahiko? Have you seen Kenshin around today?"
The boy stopped in his tracks and looked up to her. It was clear by the expression on his face he was as clueless as her. He replied nonchalantly, "Heck, how should I know? He's probably at the market or somethin'." Yahiko walked past her, once again continuing on with his whistling.
Kaoru frowned slightly at this. That's definately not the kind of answer I was expecting... she thought glumly.
She sighed and decided that she would have a look through town to see if her missing rurouni were to be found there. She headed straight for her bedroom to change out of her training outfit.
However, a moment before Kaoru had the chance to slide open the shouji door, a gruff voice sounded behind her.
She frozed.
"Hey little missy, whatcha up to?"
Recognization flitted across Kaoru's face and she turned to stare at the rooster-head Sanosuke. She replied sourly, "It's none of your business." Then, quietly, she added upon opening the shouji doors, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get dressed." And Kaoru entered her room and slammed the shouji shut in Sanosuke's face.
Sanosuke blinked.
He scratched his head, puzzled. "Damn..." he muttered. "What's got the missy so annoyed?"
"She's looking for Kenshin."
"Huh?"
Sanosuke faced Yahiko as the child walked in. He arched a quizzical brow. "What's she lookin' for Kenshin for?" a confused Sanosuke asked.
Yahiko shrugged in response.
"How should I know? She never said."
Suddenly, the shouji slid open. Both Sanosuke and Yahiko reeled away from the door in unison, scared of getting hit upside the head by an angry Kaoru. However, she was not angry at all. In fact, she wore one of her best kimono's: a faded yellow with a cherry blossom imprint and her indigo ribbon. Her smile was beaming like the sun.
Sanosuke and Yahiko casted eachother curious glances.
"Well, I'm off!" Kaoru proclaimed and like that, she was gone.
"I think the little missy's finally lost her mind..."
"Yeah, I agree...!"
To Kaoru's disappointment, Kenshin was nowhere to be found in town.
I could've sworn that'd be the last place he would be... she told herself, frowning.
I guess I was wrong...
Kaoru opened the gate to the dojo and entered with a breathy sigh. "I'm back-"
I guess maybe he has something better to do today...something that doesn't involve his friends...
"Hey Kaoru!"
"...what...?"
Kaoru blinked as her eyes fell upon a grinning Sanosuke and a snickering Yahiko standing close behind. Curious, Kaoru walked over to them, asking, "What is it? You both seem awfully happy about something..."
Sanosuke pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket and held it up for her to see. He winked. "This is for you if I'm not mistaken little missy. Here you go."
He handed it over to Kaoru with a glint in his eye. Kaoru, both suspicious yet bewildered, took the letter in her hand and flipped it around to find a signature. Strangely, she found none. This made her even more suspicious.
"Who is it from?"
"You have to read to find out."
"Fine."
Kaoru unfolded the paper and read the kanji characters printed sloppily on the page. It read:
Kaoru,
Meet me outside where the cherry blossoms bloom at sunset.
I will be waiting for you there.
The identity of the writer was not to be found. For long moments, a feeling of hesitation fell over the young girl. What if it's not Kenshin... Then again, what if it is Kenshin...? What if he's going to... Her thoughts trailed. The least Kaoru wanted to do was finish that dreadful sentence. However, what if that was really what the rurouni wanted to tell her?
Kaoru folded the paper back neatly, a cloud of worry draped in her ocean blue eyes. Then it's decided... "I'll go and see what he wants," she whispered. Without a word to Sanosuke and Yahiko, she hurried off into the setting sun.
The sun was just above the horizon when Kaoru arrived at the destination the letter had sent her to. Soft red rays glowed upon the grass and the trees. The sky was a blanket of scarlet red. Warily, she glanced around the area but saw no form appear at the moment.
Kaoru waited.
As she waited, more thoughts crossed her mind that caused her to frown. What if that really is what Kenshin is calling me here for? I don't want him to leave me...not again. Not after all we've been through together. Her grip on the letter tightened and she felt on the verge of collapsing from overwhelming sadness.
I never want Kenshin to wander again. I want him to be with me forever. I...I...
Kaoru stopped herself in mid-thought as her eye caught a flicker of a shadow looming from behind. Dread yet a shard of hope filled her heart and she turned to face the newcomer: a firery red haired man with violet eyes.
It was none other than Kenshin.
Kaoru swallowed hard.
"I am sorry to have called you out here so late in the evening...Miss Kaoru..."
Those few words sent chills through Kaoru's body. Now, she dreaded the worst. She tried to force herself to smile brightly. She replied, "No, it's alright." Then, Kaoru added more softly. "I was just...looking for you today... Is everything...okay?"
Kenshin dipped his head solemnly. "It is," he murmured.
He smiled.
"I've been meaning to tell you something these past few days... I decided that this was the right time to tell you."
What? Confusion crossed Kaoru's face. A look she had never seen on Kenshin's face suddenly found it's way there. His eyes turned softer and his smile grew deeper as he made his way toward Kaoru. She had no idea how to react.
"W-what is it?" she managed to stammer just as Kenshin stood before her.
Instantly, a hand reached and pulled on Kaoru's wrist. Her eyes stretched in surprise. "Ken...Ken...shin... What are you-" But she had no time to ask.
Soft lips pressed upon her own quavering lips. Kaoru blushed deep. Kenshin's lips unlatched themselves from hers. She was speechless. All she could do was stare at the rurouni she'd known for so long...the man she had let stay at her dojo despite his past...a man she had long grown feelings for...
"Miss Kaoru-" Kenshin began, slightly blushing himself, but the affectionate smile not once wavering from his face. "-this one has wanted to do that for a very long time, indeed I have. You mean so much to me that words alone cannot say. However...these three words shall do fine."
"I love you."
Kaoru was in dismay.
All she had wanted to say were those three little words, but she never had the courage to say them aloud. But now, times seemed different. An entire new world of possibilities had seemed to open up for her.
So, with all her uncertain feelings washed away, and all her emotions pure and true, Kaoru pushed aside her childish boundaries and bestowed upon the wanderer a kiss in return.
She pulled away to look into his eyes. Then, smiling and blushing, Kaoru said softly, "I love you, too...Kenshin." And the two embraced in a warm hug unlike any other they had had before as the setting sun slowly decended below the horizon on this day of Febuary 14th of the Meiji.
Owari
Hello my friends! I wanted to wish you all a Happy Valentines Day, and I could not think of a better way to do so than to write you this fanfiction :D I am terribly sorry if it is a little...early for this gift, but I wanted to upload this as soon as I could. I grealy hope you all enjoyed this short story, as I enjoyed very much writing it ^-^
Please leave your thoughts and critisms if you will! All reviews are greatly appreciated, that they are!
Happy Valentines Day!
~MrFoshizzlePro