A Scent of a Woman
by Shaolin Kitten
Part 14
Kwai Chang Caine stayed with Laura Carradine until her shoulder was healed. They had ample time to talk and discover each other and their mutual feelings. Laura told Kwai of the day they'd first met as children. It was like discovering the last piece of a puzzle. Kwai Chang realized that she was indeed that same girl who had smiled at him. What puzzled Kwai Chang more was a dream that he had when he had been about 13 years old. He was no longer sure that it had been a dream. He remembered becoming very sick and his father carrying him to the Great Hall where his father lay him down on a table. He was given an injection. There was a young girl there, a girl who had looked like an angel. Fear and concern had shown in her eyes. Soon after that, he had fallen asleep. He never saw the girl again. When he told Laura the story, she related the story of her father and how he had been called to the temple because many of the students and priests had suffered from food poisoning. She told Kwai Chang of seeing him there.
"Then it was you that I saw."
"Yes, small world, isn't it?"
Kwai Chang could not believe what was happening. He stared into Laura's eyes and saw so much more than he ever expected. He saw his life both with her and without her, and he knew he could not live without her.
"I know it has only been a few short weeks. We hardly know each other and yet I feel as if I have known you forever." Kwai Chang turned away. This was the hardest thing he had ever done, harder than taking the brands. He dared not look at her for fear he would lose his resolve. All he knew was that he needed to say the words, to ask her. If she refused, he did not know what he would do. Yes, he did. He would continue his journey and maybe even find solace in the arms of another. He did not want to think it would be so. She knew his heart. He could only hope that she also knew his soul. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Laura was holding her breath. She thought back to the very words she had spoken to her friends the day of the rally just a few months ago. Instead of answering him with words, she turned him around, put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. Tears fell at the joy she felt. She nodded her head and kissed him again.
A few weeks later, Kwai Chang was nervously standing at the bottom of the stairs of the Great Hall. Ping Hai, Master Kwahn, Kahn, and many other priests and students were gathered, as well as friends of Laura's. Kwai Chang was dressed in white and his feet were bare. He held a ceremonial dagger in his hands to signify the change in his life's path. The dagger represented the many challenges that were ahead. Music floated softly through the temple, originating from some unseen place. The sound of a flute, drum, and even what sounded uniquely like voices were blended in perfect harmony to create images of blossoming flowers and birds winging lazily through a cloudless spring day. Softly, a small gong rang out. At first it was thought to be part of the music, but then the music faded, and the gong sounded again. A slight movement and the scent of jasmine on the air caught Kwai Chang's attention and he turned his face to the top of the stairs. She descended with the grace of a crane floating down to meet the still waters of a lake. Her hair was loose, not in its customary pulled back position she would often wear it in when working on a project. She wore a simple white dress and a circlet of flowers rested on her head like a halo. She was the picture of an angel descending from heaven. Her face held the promise of much more to come.
Kwai Chang stepped forward and took her hand in his and led her to the waiting priests. Each spoke their vows of devotion. Each exchanged a token of their love. Each priest in turn blessed the union, proud that one of their own had chosen so well. It was not often that a priest married. Most did not, but when there was a union, it was made with love and celebration. The children of such unions sometimes became priests as well, continuing the tradition and the teachings for generations. So, it was and would be no less for this couple, thought Ping Hai. For he knew that there always had been and would be a need for a Caine, stretching back to the day of Kwai Chang's grandfather.
The crowd watched as the couple danced their first dance together. Laura's friends had insisted that there be a traditional reception after the wedding ceremony. Some questioned whether the ceremony was even legal, but that was soon squelched when one of the guests spoke up. He happened to be the local Unitarian Minister and he'd known Laura Carradine, now Laura Caine, from when she had been a child growing up in his church. Laura and Kwai Chang had arranged for her Minister to be present during the ceremony and had even included his name on the marriage certificate beside Master Kwahn's name. That way there would be no question in the eyes of the state that this couple was legally married.
In the shadows, another watched, his belongings carried over one shoulder. He silently vowed to return some day and finish what he had started. For now, he had to find his true path. If that path included the killing of a fellow Shaolin, then so be it. To know this, he needed to know what was truly in his own heart. Was he Shaolin or was he something else entirely? What were these brands that he had so readily accepted on his arms but not in his heart? What meaning did they hold for him? He continued to stare at the man dancing with the woman he should have loved and possessed. 'You will regret the day you took her from me,' he thought. 'There will come a day when I will have my revenge. On that day, I will take that which you took from me. I will take all those that you love. Then I will take your honor.' The man turned and melted into the deepest part of the shadow. The journey he would be taking would be long and hard. It would be one filled with danger and terror. It would be a journey into the darkest part of his soul. Within that journey, he knew he would find his true destiny and the answers he sought.
End of Part 14
