Standard Disclaimers Apply. The rights to Rurouni Kenshin are exclusively owned by Watsuki
Nobuhiro, Sony Entertainment, Shueisha, Jump Comics and other associated
groups. Do not sue!!! I am writing this to satiate my urge to write.
Be Still My Heart
Chapter Seven
Since that night, Kenshin and Kaoru found themselves a permanent roommate that would rid them both of the loneliness they never thought they felt until they had each other. It paved way to their beautiful and blossoming friendship.
Their nightly routine gradually developed as days went by. They would train together, have light or intense conversations and say good night before they went to sleep.
Every night, it was the same, but none complained. They never grew tired of it.
They never grew tired of each other.
~~~~~
As usual, the
pale morning rays passed through the translucent door, beckoning our beautiful heroine to wake up. She turned
to the other side, opened her blurry eyes and yawned, "Good morning, Kenshin."
"Good
morning, Kamiya-dono," he smiled as he finished folding his beddings in one
side.
While
Kenshin's back was at her, Kaoru tightened the ties that held her gi as she
started to fold her futon. Wearing a gi while sleeping was quite uncomfortable
but sacrifices had to be made if she wanted to have a roommate. Putting on a
thin and semi-sheer yukata would be…
… dangerous
for them both.
Every
morning, they helped each other clean up in silent coordination. Kaoru didn't
mind the work at all. She even felt more comfortable and at home there at the
abandoned dojo compared to her cold and uninviting quarters.
Meanwhile, as
they were cleaning, Kenshin was subtly observing Kaoru's moves. He smiled
inwardly at the thought that even if she was an aristocrat, she had managed to
break all the rules by:
pretending to
be a male,
being
exemplary with the sword even as a woman,
being
friendly and totally indiscriminate to a samurai who is of lower social class,
sleeping with
that samurai in one room,
helping clean
the samurai's room,
making that same
samurai fall—
Kenshin shook
his head, not wanting to finish his last statement as he picked up the pan and
sheathe. It was time for the wake-up call, he had no time for silly thoughts.
Kaoru eyed
the two interesting objects in his hands, grinning mischievously. Approaching
him with her hands on the back, she asked, "Can I?"
"Oh no. This
is my job," he replied, scratching his forehead.
Kaoru pursed
her lips and held out her hands towards the two. Kenshin obliged her by handing
her the pan and sheathe.
With
child-like fascination, she grinned and repeated with much glee, "Can I?"
Kenshin
smiled, uncertainly without giving her a straight answer.
"Oh, please,"
she begged. "Just this once. I just want to know what it feels like." Kaoru
tugged the edge of his sleeves as she gave him a cute pout.
Unable to
resist, Kenshin sighed. "Alright."
"Yosh!" she
exclaimed, jumping in the air. Kaoru almost threw her arms around him. Good
thing her reflexes were fast enough to conceal for her almost homosexual
act.
Kenshin's
insides churned upon the knowledge that it was he, who made this amazing woman
exceptionally happy that morning.
It was a
foreign feeling for him because he had never been that close enough to somebody
to actually make them happy. The feeling was odd yet refreshing.
The feeling
was delight. Pure and untainted delight.
The next
thing Kenshin knew, Kaoru was already clanging the two objects with much
enthusiasm that even the birds flew away from the trees.
"Kamiya-dono!
Kamiya-dono!" he called out, running after her.
"What?" she
turned back. "You never told me this was so much fun!"
"You are
doing it all wrong."
"Huh?" she
cringed her face in bafflement.
"It's
supposed to be done this way." Taking the objects of noise from her, he tapped
the sheathe into the pan. "Clang-clang! Clang-clang! Clang-clang!"
Kaoru rolled
her eyes as she grabbed them from him. She feigned bowing as she grinned,
"Sorry, Himura Kenshin, master of the pan, I didn't know this has a ritual
rhythm. Pardon my ignorance."
Kenshin was
about to say something when Kaoru ran off, beating the two in her own tempo. He
just shrugged to himself, watching her in silent awe, I wonder how, with all
the problems she carries and with all the hard work she does, she still manages
to see the beauty of each situation… to have fun.
"Did you see
the look on the wolf's face?" she grinned mischievously, running towards the
red-head.
"I don't want
to. Its too early for that," he whispered.
Kaoru
chuckled, pulling him towards Saitoh's room, "Come on!"
Kenshin
allowed himself to be half-dragged, sweat forming on his forehead, This is
not good.
When they
were steps away from Saitoh's door, he stepped out, a cigarette on one hand. He
smirked, "Where do you two think you are going?"
Kenshin
stopped while Kaoru's eyes widened, she coughed, "Ano… I just asked Himura-san
where your quarters are so that I would be the first to greet you a pleasant
morning."
Saitoh raised
an eyebrow, puffing out his smoke, "Is that so?"
"Yes!" she
exclaimed. Taking steps back with her companion, she added, "Now that we have
said it, we are off. Don't want to be late for breakfast! Ja!" At that, they
ran off.
Saitoh stared
at their retreating figures, shaking his head, Ahous.
Kenshin and
Kaoru had separated ways after that, knowing that the bright new day was ahead
of them.
~~~~~
Ever since
that morning, Kaoru was searching for her other friend. His unusual
rooster-like hair made him distinguishable miles away, but Kaoru couldn't seem
to find him. Maybe he is just sick, she reassured herself.
She and
Sanosuke had grown close since they met, not as close as she and Kenshin but
they were still good friends. They accompanied each other during bushido
classes and preferred to be sparring partners during training.
After lunch,
all students went inside their classroom for their bushido instructions led by
Saitoh Hajime. Kaoru stared at the empty seat beside her, waiting.
The student
behind her placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Sanosuke had left."
"What?" she
asked, immediately turning around.
A carriage
arrived last midnight to pick him up. It seemed so urgent that he wasn't even
given a proper dismissal by the board.
"Oh."
"I heard that
his Taicho sent for him."
Kaoru smiled
in relief as she faced front, He must be so excited getting his assignment. Letting
the wind carry her words, she whispered, "Ganbatte ne, Sagara Sanosuke."
Just then,
their instructor arrived. As usual, he had a cigarette dangling on his mouth. Everybody
sat erect, not wanting to be reprimanded by the wolf in front of them.
As Saitoh
began his discussion, Kaoru's mind drifted to a certain, memorable time and
place.
It was
about 9:00 in the morning. Free time for the students, so Kaoru Kamiya decided
to embark on something utterly new to her. Laundry.
With a big
smile plastered on her face, she placed all her soiled clothes in a basin and
headed towards one empty corner of the
grounds.
"You doing
laundry, too?" Kenshin looked up, his hands filled with suds.
Kaoru
rolled her eyes and held out the basin for him to see, "Yes, isn't it obvious?"
"Let me
think…"
Shaking
her head, Kaoru took her place beside him, pouring water on the basin and began
scrubbing.
"Oro?"
Kenshin squeaked as he watched Kaoru battle with her clothes. Trying to salvage
what decent clothes she had left, he grabbed the piece she was working on and
said, "Stop! Stop that! Not like that!"
"What?"
she glared.
"Like
this," he demonstrated. "Gently…"
"Like
this?" she asked, mimicking his movements.
"You learn
fast my lord," Kenshin nodded as he stretched the one he had just washed to see
if it was thoroughly cleaned. Blushing scarlet, he gasped in horror upon the
realization that he was holding out Kaoru's underpants for everyone to see.
Good thing
Kaoru was too busy concentrating to
notice what had just happened so Kenshin immediately slipped that certain
article under her pile before she found out what he used for demonstration, or
so he thought.
Little did
he know that Kaoru knew from the start. She just refrained herself from
reacting because it would only cause much attention, which in that case, is
rather synonymous to scandal.
"I learned
from the best samurai," she smiled, feigning innocence.
Kenshin smiled
back at her and said, "You—
"Kamiya!"
came a growl loud enough to jolt her back to reality.
"Yes, sir?"
she asked nervously, sweat forming on her forehead.
"You seem to
be very attentive today. Tell me, what is the essence of the bushido?"
Kaoru looked
down, searching her mind for the answer. "A samurai must be totally
loyal to the feudal lord. He must also be willing to give his life in the
defense of his lord, his lord's honor, including his own. He should be properly
trained in martial arts, refined and has a good grasp of proper etiquette. This
is important because it would govern his actions and behavior in all
situations." Kaoru smiled in contentment when she had finished.
Saitoh
smirked and continued, "Who is Imagawa Sadayo?"
"Born in 1325.
Died in 1429. He was the one who said that Without knowledge of Learning,
one will ultimately have no military victories."
"Do you agree
with him?"
"Of course!"
she replied with much conviction. "Knowledge is the foundation to everything. Without
knowledge, one would not know of the proper handling of the sword, of
formulating tactics—"
"Of listening
to one's peers," he finished. "Kamiya, do not be cocky and listen to my class."
Seeing her
fault, she bowed her head in apology as she tried to focus on her class.
Despite his
public scolding, Saitoh inwardly smiled, You have taught her well, Miharu.
~~~~~
When everyone
had settled inside their room, Kaoru snuck out again, going to her other
room, bringing along with her scrolls of her poems.
Kenshin
welcomed her with a smile on his face as he opened the door for her.
Kaoru smiled
back at him as she settled herself beside one of the lamps. She unrolled the
scrolls, motioning Kenshin to sit beside her.
"Have tried
writing a poem in your free time?"
He shook his
head in reply.
"Oh."
Blushing faintly, she asked, "Would you like to read what I had written before?
Tell me what you think, okay?"
Kenshin bowed
down his head and shook it sadly.
"Why? Don't
you like poetry?" she asked, a tinge of hurt could be traced in her voice.
"It's not
that—" he replied, looking into her eyes in… shame?
Kaoru looked
back, her lips pressed together in a slight frown.
"My
brushstrokes are so…" he finished weakly as he downcast his eyes. "…Ano… you
see… I never really spent too much time with it."
"Oh," Kaoru
replied, stunned at what she heard. Then, she smiled, moving over to sit beside
him. She titled his chin up and said, "Then, I'll teach you. It isn't too late
to learn, you know."
Kenshin
looked up, eyes filled with confusion, "Why are you doing this for me?"
"Because you
are my best friend."
They remained
silent after that as Kaoru prepared the blank sheet of paper, a brush and an ink.
She wrote hiragana characters on the white paper while Kenshin watched her in
deep thought, I had spent all my life here, fighting for nothing… protecting
nothing. Then, she came along and turned my world. What have I done to deserve
such kindness? It bewilders me completely, but I am not complaining.
Unfortunately,
I am not.
Should I
be?
She is
heaven and I am… I am dirt.
We are
worlds apart but still—
"Shall we
start?" she smiled, handing me the brush.
— I would
do anything to see her smile.
He accepted the
brush, gesturing her to start.
Kenshin was a
fast learner because of his sharp memory and dexterous wrists and Kaoru, on the
other hand, was a good teacher, assisting him all the way.
For the rest
of the night until early dawn, Kaoru patiently taught Kenshin hiragana and…
…the beauty of falling in love.
Author's Notes:
GOMEN NASAI!!!!! Sorry… I had been too busy!
Hope this extremely waffy chap made up for it!
Women could learn to write only hiragana, and thus were prevented from reading political and business transactions or great literary works, which were written in the more formal kanji.
Even if he was instructed with the sword skills, he lack the written knowledge because with all the time he consumed with housework and the craft… he didn't have anytime to practice those.
A woman is to obey her father as daughter, her husband as wife, and her son as aged mother."2 A basic tenant of Buddhism is that salvation is not possible for women, and the Samurai believed that "...A woman should look upon her husband as if he were heaven itself."
Since I am really struggling with writing now… I am going to make sure that I am going to thank everyone who inspired me and helped me with my block…
THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS:
JML- :chibi-angel bows down: sou desu, jml-sama! ^_~ Qi in Chinese is broader than the way I explained it but oh well… on to the fic! ^_^ thanks a lot! I'll try to include that when I edit in the end of the fic.
Hana Himura- hehehe… how are you, girl? I missed you!
Lizzie, Aku-chan- I'm glad you liked it.
Smilesforyou- oh! That's sooooo sweet! :melts in a puddle of goo:
Momori- thanks a lot! It means so much!
Hosi-ni-onegai- thanks for the info but that isn't the only reason why I wrote it that way. By the time Kaoru admits her real name, there's going to be a turning point of their relationship. ^_^
Kyaa-kyaff- thanks a lot! You know what? I like you name… the way my tongue rolls as I say it… hehehe…
Vesca- not only that they will… :gasp:
Ro-chan- that's okay! ^_^ it's the thought that counts! Hehehe…
Bunny-sama- I feel so flattered! ^__^ how's everything! Have you received my Christmas mail?
Michelle M.- me, too. But please take note that this is an A/U fic… this isn't a back to the Bakumatsu fic because this happened even before that. ^_^
Chiki- can't get enough of waff moments!!!
Gypsy-chan- how are you? have you received my mails? I had been trying to contact you but, I guess you're busy, too. I hope everything is okay with you… I miss yah!
Shunu no Miko, Melfina-Pan, Dernhelm- don't worry… I'll try to update sooner.
Chitchat- :evil grins: of course I know that! ^_~ hehehe… just wait and see…
Kaoru Himura- that's okay… I guess, we all are busy these days.
Nikki- actually mir and I had been pretty busy so I just try to edit it a little and just focus on the story itself. Sorry on that…
drea13rk- hehehe… don't worry I have plans for that. No spoilers for now! ^_~ trust me!
Nicky-chan- I love them that way!!! ^_^ no angst for K&K especially now.
RyuichiFanGirl- oh okay… better study first… ^_^
Luraia Soul- yup… I definitely prefer the original jap version. There are some dubbed lines which totally alter the essense of the dialogue. Ugh! Really frustrating. Thanks so much! Keep the reviews coming!
Bakaneko- hehehe… incense is not necessary, neko-chan. Just an honest and sincere review would do. ^_~
Skipper- Actually, I've tried two styles already. A little of taekwondo and a little of aikido a couple of years back.
Red Ninja, Kawaii sakura-chan- honto ni? :makes puppy dog eyes:
Claria- actually, I love that line, too. I often utter those in my head especially when a certain baka megane comes into my mind! ^_~
J. Liha, Rei2- sure! ^_^ I love this story too much to give up on it!
C'mon everyone… it's not too hard to make me happy… just press the review button!
