Endlessly
Chapter 3 – Dreams
Staralure


One morning, Kaoru woke up with a start, just in time to hear the soft scrape of the closing door and footsteps pattering away.

She took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with much needed air. Her eyes felt swollen, her throat sore; she vaguely recalled shouting something incomprehensible moments before she had woken up.

With the back of her hand, she swiped away the fresh tear tracks running down her cheeks. The kenjutsu princess sniffled and huddled deeper into the blankets. The remnants of the dream still haunted her mind – running around the eerily empty dojo, calling out desperately and hearing nothing but silence and the pounding of her own heart in response. She knew it was irrational to fear being alone again when she was surrounded by so many loving (albeit annoying) people, but...

Kaoru bit the inside of her cheek.

Nightmares rarely visited her in her sleep, but when they do, their effects were always draining. And this particular one was the manifestation of all her worst fears. She forced an offending sob back down her throat and squeezed her eyes shut, seeking comfort in imagining what the members of her little adopted family would have to say about her dream.

Megumi would probably flick a finger at her forehead and admonish her for being silly.

Sano would scowl at her after that and ruffle her hair, saying something that initially sounds crude but would turn out to be heartfelt at second thought.

Yahiko, despite his young age and desire to be considered a 'man', would probably let her have the first serving of food, just for that one lunch, and refrain from calling her ugly for the next few hours.

Kenshin…

Wrapping her arms tightly around her knees, Kaoru gave herself a quick hug before sliding out of her futon. She forced her face into a wide smile, but her smile dropped, tight cheek muscles refusing to obey her commands. Imagining her silly expression right now, she laughed, and tried again when it came out too forced until it became more natural.

Kaoru thought that she probably looked and sounded like a maniac right now.

Her gaze landed on the photo Kenshin-gumi had taken together at Kyoto and her expression softened into a sincere smile.

After all, it wouldn't do good to dwell on upsetting matters (it was just a dream, Kaoru repeatedly consoled herself). She refused to wallow in self-pity. Turning towards her wardrobe, she picked out a kimono that was slightly frayed, but still vibrantly coloured, and decided that today fits the criteria for her good old happy-kimono to be worn.


Bundled up in one of her most cherished kimonos, Kaoru settled down at her favourite spot in front of the courtyard and tucked her lugs neatly to the side. The warmth of the morning sun was comforting and soothed her mind.

The dojo was oddly quiet with Yahiko nowhere to be seen, and she wondered where he had disappeared to. She had opened the door to his room, ready to admonish him for sleeping in, only to find his futon folded up neatly in a corner of the room.

Footsteps alerted her to Kenshin's presence. Kaoru felt his eyes on her and kept her eyes straight forward, pretending to be fascinated by the birds pecking the dirt. She felt herself growing hot with panic when she recalled hearing the door sliding close, and not for the first time, fervently hoped that it was simply her own overactive imagination that had imagined seeing his silhouette walking pass her room this morning.

He has seen her in all kinds of state, but she didn't want to appear vulnerable in front of him, and especially not today.

A tray nudged her thigh. The fragrant smell of freshly brewed matcha and hot piping steamed sweet potatoes wafted up to her nose. Kenshin lightly dropped a cool washcloth onto her lap before settling down beside her.

She felt her cheeks grow warm as she stared at the washcloth resting on her lap. It hadn't been a figment of her imagination then – Kenshin had checked on her this morning.

Unsure about how to proceed, she glanced at Kenshin who was sitting at the edge of her peripheral vision. His back was turned towards her at an angle, giving her a view of his side profile and some much needed privacy.

With a basket of vegetables balanced on his lap, Kenshin tied his sleeves back with practiced grace. The sleeve of his kimono brushed against hers as he reached over his shoulder to bring the ends of the tasuki together.

He paused, sensing Kaoru's eyes on him. Kenshin smiled, and Kaoru imagined his eyes lightening to a soft lavender colour under the sunlight.

"Something hot and sweet makes one happier...and the washcloth would help with puffy eyes."

Kaoru flushed at his indirect confession of having witnessed her vulnerable moment.

His tone had been gentle, coaxing. The slight, barely noticeable hesitance in his voice let her know that he wouldn't press her for more, but would be willing to listen if she chose to divulge her worries. With a single sentence, he managed to validate her feelings and the significance behind his actions touched her heart.

There was no need for flamboyant words between the both of them – the unspoken words rang louder than any shout could have.

A weight that she hadn't even realised was there lifted off her shoulders and her lips tugged into a smile. Kaoru's stomach growled and she picked up one of the sweet potatoes, suddenly ravenous.

Kenshin hummed softly as he peeled the vegetables. The familiar tune of Kaoru's favourite song filled the comfortable silence, and Kaoru relaxed in his presence. Peeking at his back view again, she felt a rush of affection for the man who, in his own small little ways, always manage to reassure her and banish her self-doubt with a few, well-chosen words.

Pressing the washcloth against her eyes, she inched towards him and leaned into his back hesitantly, afraid to rest her weight on him. Kenshin continued humming, showing no other outward response apart from shifting his position so that Kaoru would be snug against his back.

She relaxed. He continued humming, even singing softly from time to time as he moved with extra care to avoid jostling the girl leaning on his back.

The reverberations soon lulled Kaoru into a comfortable sleep. Kenshin finished peeling the vegetables and glanced at the dozing woman. Violet eyes softened. He had an inkling of what she had dreamed about this morning (he rushed straight over to her room when he heard her cries), but he would respect her privacy. She would come to him if she wished to share her troubles, and for now, he would quietly lend her his strength and wait.

Besides, the comfortable weight of Kaoru against his back was oddly soothing.

Satisfied, he looked around the courtyard, making a mental list of tasks to complete before the day was over. The pleasant scent that was distinctly Kaoru wafted around them and reminded him of the warm scent of delicate jasmine blossoms. With slow and steady movements, Kenshin carefully untied the tasuki and shook his sleeves out. He proceeded to amuse himself trying out different types of knots on the tasuki, trying to recall the particularly difficult ones his master had taught him when he was just a child.

The pair stayed in this manner until the sun was high up in the sky, the gentle rise and fall of their synchronised breaths the only sound in the peaceful silence.

That is, until the door suddenly burst open and two figures stood at the entrance, eyes lighting up at the sight of Kenshin. Said peace was destroyed by a certain Sagara Sanosuke and Myojin Yahiko who barged in through the front doors with all the subtlety of a raging bull, demanding for their empty stomachs to be filled after a whole morning of helping out at Akebeko in Kenshin's stead.

"Ne Kenshin! You promised to cook lunch for us toda-"

Kaoru stirred slightly at the loud commotion.

Sano took a look at the scene in front of them and promptly clapped a hand over Yahiko's mouth, effectively muffling his words. With a not-so-subtle wink at Kenshin, and much to the Yahiko's chagrin, Sano marched away with the young apprentice tucked firmly under his arm, turning a deaf ear to his feeble protests.

Kenshin let himself a wry smile at his closest friend's antics before suddenly tensing up. Through sheer will, he forced his body to relax and swallowed hard, looking down at the arm Kaoru had circled around his waist, momentarily baffled at the sudden intimacy.

Kaoru snuggled into Kenshin's warm back and fell back into a deep slumber, muttering something incomprehensible into his back and delightfully oblivious to her own actions. The rurouni's expression melted to one of pure affection when her arms tightened around him. He gently grazed the back of her hands with his knuckles, and hid a small smile.


A/N: The ending was ~kinda awkward~ but I've already spent ages on it and couldn't phrase it any better ):

This is my favourite chapter so far. Initially I wrote another scene for this chapter but decided to save it for next time at the last minute because it was too draggy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Unfortunately, I'd be on hiatus with immediate effect until December 2014. My Alevels are coming up in four weeks and I'd really like to give it my best shot and this sadly means taking a break from Endlessly because it has been taking up quite a significant portion of my time.

See y'all beautiful souls in two months' time! AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE LEGEND ENDS AHHHHHHH.

Oh and if any of you happen to have any suggestions for a better summary for this story do share your thoughts with me!

Comments are much appreciated, thank you for reading! (: