The Engagement…
OOC Disclaimer: I don't know anything about Japanese Wedding, or Engagement so I'm using my American Modern but romanticized version of things. Well actually Icka-chan who hates to see things done wrong, sent me a few links to information on Japanese Weddings so I'm throwing that stuff in as well. Other note. Okay Sano is suppose to be traveling the world right now, but it wouldn't be Kenshin without him in the middle of everything. Figure he left for a short time and will start his serious tour of the world after the wedding.
Yahiko was relieved to see Kenshin and Kaoru approaching. They where no longer holding hands, but then they where having a quiet conversation and seemed to be intent on starting their journey back to Tokyo. "We could have taken the train you know." stated Kaoru.
"I don't want you thinking I've gone weak, besides we have a lot to talk about on the trip." Kenshin explained a nod to Yahiko as he fell into step with them.
"We could have sent Yahiko by Train." stated Kaoru, she so wanted to spend time alone with Kenshin, and hold him like she did back in Hiko's cabin.
"Hay, I'm going everywhere you guys are going. I'm the chaperone. You're not married yet." Yahiko stated. Kaoru turning on him and glaring. "Well your not!" he stated.
This only caused Kaoru to start chasing Yahiko down the road. Kenshin sweat dropped. "At this rate will get back to Tokyo in no time."
A little while later everyone is again walking down the road and munching some meat buns as they walk. Yahiko stopped dead in his tracks as a though occurred to him. Being that he was right in front of Kenshin, and Kenshin wasn't paying attention, Kenshin walked right into him.
"Oro?!"
Yahiko turned quickly on Kenshin. "Back in the snow, Saitou was there." explained Yahiko, explaining what he had forgotten to mention to Kenshin a while back.
"Saitou?! I thought he got transferred to Shinsengumi." stated Kaoru with surprise, as she also went to help Kenshin up from the ground.
Kenshin brushed himself off. "Doesn't mean he doesn't keep tabs on me. He won't cause us any trouble, if he wanted to he would have come to the fight a year ago."
Kaoru let out a sigh and started walking again, hitting Yahiko over the head. "Why did you go and mention it."
"Hay Ugly, I thought he should know." Yahiko complained back to Kaoru.
Thus for the next part of the journey again Yahiko and Kaoru argued. Kenshin walked along and continued to eat his meat roll.
As night approached they found a place to stay at an inn along the road. They shared the same room, but Yahiko made sure to sleep between Kenshin and Kaoru. "I'm not catching you two in bed together again, not till your married, I've decided that's my duty from now on." Kenshin grin and messed up Yahiko's hair, not that it wasn't already looking a mess.
"That's good of you Yahiko." stated Kenshin.
"But we are adults!" complained Kaoru who didn't like being even a few feet away from Kenshin. Perhaps she felt he would back out of the marriage.
Yahiko turned to face Kaoru holding out his shinai. Kenshin stopped a giggle, he thoughts where 'That's not going to stop a determined Kaoru.'.
"Oh come on, Yahiko. I was just going to say goodnight to Kenshin." complained Kaoru, of course she also had other thoughts, but she really was trying to behave herself, but she had never felt this free before. Well once the wedding occurred Kenshin would be her's forever. Perhaps it was that fear Kaoru always seemed to have that Kenshin would just disappear one day. She kept telling herself that he was home, but it was still so hard to believe. Kenshin still disappeared at times, and he liked to be left alone at others. He had gone to Tomoe's grave alone, but then he did have her join him to say goodbye. Perhaps that was the start of things. A change in Kenshin where he was going to include her into his life and his wanderings. Kaoru didn't realize she had been inching around Yahiko, until she was hit on the head by his shinai.. "Ow! That hurt you little brat." complained Kaoru.
"It will hurt even more if you try it again." grinned Yahiko, as he kept the shinai raised. It was sort of a game to him, keeping Kenshin and Kaoru apart. Did he do it out of jealousy, or perhaps out of fear of losing them both? True he would lose them both to each other but that wasn't the point. Maybe Yahiko wanted to show how much he actually cared and this was his way of doing so. Maybe it was just an excuse to be mean to Kaoru. Yahiko actually didn't know exactly why he was doing so either. Maybe it was something Sano said, or some guilt he laid on him, or was it just the narrator's twist to the story. Yahiko just knew that he had to keep the two apart. Of course then Kenshin stepped forward and put a hand on Yahiko's shoulder.
"It's okay Yahiko, you can trust us." Kenshin stated and held out a hand to Kaoru. She put her hand into his and he raised it to his lips to give it a soft kiss. "Good night Kaoru-dono." he said simply. Was it Kaoru's weak heart, or did Yahiko hit her to many times? Kaoru almost feel over as Kenshin kissed her hand. He had never kissed her before and even if it was just her hand that he kissed it sent a warm feeling through her. She had a smile that wasn't going to fade away as she crawled into her bed and went to sleep, without any further complaints.
Yahiko just rolled his eyes before crawling into his own bed. Kenshin watched the two fall asleep before letting himself doze off. Kaoru opened her eyes at some point in the night, with thoughts of moving over next to Kenshin, but she wasn't sure if Yahiko was asleep. Sure he looked asleep, but was he. She went back to sleep then. Later on Yahiko opened his eyes. His' thoughts where that Kaoru had snuck into bed with Kenshin, but he stopped and closed his eyes again. No good letting them know he wasn't asleep. Soon he fell back to sleep. Kenshin noticed all of this with amusement, as it continued for the rest of the night. Kaoru would wake up and look around, hearing a noise and fear of being caught she would go back to sleep. Then Yahiko would wake up and look around, then thinking things where okay, he would go back to sleep. Kenshin slept in his half awake state for the rest of the night.
Back on the road to Tokyo, Yahiko was practicing some sword swings as they walked. Kaoru was now seriously going over things with Kenshin about the wedding. "So we are going to have it when?"
"Well the weather is good and should hold out for a few more months." Kenshin stated, yes it was odd for the blizzard to have appeared. And in the middle spring at that. "It would not be proper to rush things Kaoru-dono."
Kaoru sighed. "Enough with that. I've waited to long for you to finally ask me, I don't want to wait any longer then I half to."
Yahiko called over his shoulder. "I heard that."
"Heard what, you baka?" asked Kaoru.
"You just want to rush things so you can jump into bed with Kenshin again." stated Yahiko, stressing the word 'again'. He knew enough about thing in his young age. Kenshin and Kaoru both looked at each other and sweet dropped.
"How about five months then?" asked Kenshin. "The weather will be nice still. Plenty of time for all the plans."
"How about two, I could plan everything in two." argued Kaoru. She didn't want to wait, or lose the chance of losing Kenshin to some odd…well any number of things. Kenshin had the ability to attract the strangest group of all-powerful martial artists in all of Japan. Things had been quiet for a while but Kaoru always heard Megumi's words in the back of her head about Kenshin's health, that the next time he may not survive. Okay, so what was the difference in a few months, well it could mean anything. So Kaoru was rushing things, but it's not like they hadn't been semi-courting since the moment they saw each other.
"This isn't a negotiation." complained Yahiko in front of them.
"Oro?" stated Kenshin.
"I'm just saying you two are not going to rush things. If Kenshin said five months then the wedding is in five months." explained Yahiko.
"What are you, the wedding coordinator. I said I could do it in two months. But you would most likely need twenty." mocked Kaoru.
"I would not. I would only need three." stated Yahiko.
"Fine the wedding is in three months then." responded Kaoru.
Kenshin stood there looking confused. "Oro?"
Yahiko stood with his mouth agape. He had issued the challenge and Kaoru did accept it. There was nothing he could do but accept the fact that the wedding was going to be in the three months. "But just a small affair, only friends and family." Stated Yahiko. He was not about to host all of Japan that wanted to attend the wedding of the Battousai.
"Well your neither so I guess your not invited then." Stated Kaoru. Yahiko screamed and started to chase Kaoru with his shinai, as they ran down the road.
Kenshin continued to walk along at his normal pace. "Yes, we are going to make it back in record time at this rate."
It was another midday meal eating meat buns while walking when the conversation was again turned towards the up coming wedding. "So we will of course have Misao and Aoshi there, as well if Onika if he wishes to come. I don't know if all the Oniwabanshu would be attending but it was better to plan for them then not to." Kaoru was rattling off names as Yahiko was keeping count with his fingers. "Then of course Sanosuke, and Megumi. I don't have any family, Kenshin you want to invite Hiko of course, he's your family basically." Kenshin only nodded, eating his meat bun. He wasn't about to say anything. He was just waiting for the next argument to happen which would eventually. "The doctor of course, and those from the restaurant, and that about does it I think."
Yahiko finished his counting. Giving her a prompting sort of cough. "Aren't you forgetting someone?" asked Yahiko.
Kaoru went over the names in her head. "Yeah that's everyone."
Yahiko coughed again. "You're forgetting someone very important."
"Well of course Kenshin and myself but that's obvious." stated Kaoru. She looked at Yahiko not knowing whom she had forgotten.
"What about me?!" complained Yahiko.
Kenshin sweet dropped, and Kaoru face-faulted for a moment. She the recovered herself, see she had forgotten to mention Yahiko but that's because he was as much apart of the wedding as Kenshin or she was, but she wasn't about to tell him that. "Well you either are written down under help for being the wedding coordinator or put in with those from the restaurant." This only made Yahiko angry. "Well I could just put you down under bratty student." she stated.
Yahiko's head nearly exploded. "I am not just help!" he screamed at Kaoru. Kaoru sweat dropped a moment. Then Yahiko turned to Kenshin. "I'm Kenshin's best man, aren't I?" asked Yahiko. This caused Kenshin to sweat drop again.
"Oro?" asked Kenshin, in a timid voice, not sure what to say.
"Well you need one and who would be better for that position?" asked Yahiko.
"Why would Kenshin want a scrawny shrimp like you as the best man. Best man signifies the person is a man." taunted Kaoru. This is when the unavoidable fight started again as Kaoru and Yahiko chased each other down the road again.
They were at another inn along the road back to Tokyo. They where given sleeping rolls and shown to an empty room. Yahiko made a show of laying his sleeping roll out in the middle of the room. More so to keep Kenshin and Kaoru once again on different sides of him. Yahiko even pointed out where they should put their sleeping rolls, which was on opposite sides of the room. They could have gotten separate rooms but this was safer, and cheaper. Kenshin obeyed and put his sleeping roll where Yahiko had indicated. Kaoru did the same, but not without first passing by Yahiko and hitting him over the head.
"Ow, that hurt!" complained Yahiko.
"It could hurt a lot more but I'm tired and hungry." complained Kaoru as she straightened out her sleeping roll.
"I'll go get us some dinner from the kitchen." stated Kenshin, as he slipped out of the room. He needed the time alone from those two. Closing the door behind him, he let out a sigh. It was the first time he had gotten away from the both of them. Their fighting was tiring him out more then anything else. Who would have thought that a wedding would be this difficult. It was rather simple with him and Tomoe, simply them in front of a minister and that was it. Perhaps he should do that with Kaoru-dono, but she really deserved more. Kenshin did not like big celebrations, but he was willing to bend to Kaoru-dono's every desire.
Kenshin went down to the kitchen and paid for three dinners. While waiting for the dinners Kenshin's mind went back to remembering holding Kaoru under the blanket in his master's cabin. He wasn't kidding when he told Kaoru he wouldn't be able to sleep with out her. He hadn't slept since then. Sure he rested his eyes and let his body relax but he so wanted her by his side. The smell of her, the feel of her skin. Kenshin let the thought go as the food was done and he took it up to the others.
Elsewhere… Saitou is smoking a cigarette looking over some papers. Chou comes into the room, a big grin on his face. "Guess what I've heard?" states Chou.
"Nothing I haven't heard already I'm sure." explained Saitou. Chou was pleased with his skills but they in now way compared to Saitou's. However this bit of news Chou was sure Saitou had not heard yet.
Chou just shrugged and sat down in an empty chair in the room. "Guess you don't want to know about the Battousai then?" he responded rather smugly.
Saitou did look up from the papers he was looking at, with a raised eyebrow. "What about? Kenshin is no longer the Battousai, besides I saw him only a few days ago. The odd blizzard out in Kyoto."
"Oh yeah? I heard about that. Did you catch the people who did that?" asked Chou,
Saitou nodded and looked back at his papers. "Yes, some sort of snow creation device. Advance technology at that. The creators will be on ice for some time, however I'm thinking of having them arrange for some snow later this year to see about taking my wife ice skating." Chou laughed out loud. The thought of Saitou prancing and gliding around on ice, even with his wife was a silly idea. "Shut up broom head. So what do you have to report?"
"Well it would seem that the Battousai is getting married." explained Chou. He had found this out through one of his contacts in the Oniwabanshu. Okay so she was exactly a contact but someone he was actually seeing and she sort of let slip needing a new dress for the upcoming wedding and all. "I maybe even can get us invitations."
"Bah…" stated Saitou. "Why would I want to go. He's marrying that dojo owner, Kaor something." Chou nodded. Saitou's thoughts went to his own lovely wife, it would be good for the Battousai to settle down, after all he did deserve it. Saitou took another puff on his cigarette.