Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin being mine? Eha! As if...with all these creepy lawyers, and besides, wouldn't want to steal from the great Nobuhiro Watsuki, now would we? ^^
Summary: A few misspoken words leave Kaoru thinking she is forever to be alone in life. But our favorite rurouni proves her wrong, even when he is a bit tipsy...
Forlorn Fear
WHACK!
"Ow!" yelped Yahiko, rubbing ruefully at the growing bump from his spiky black hair, "What was that for, busu?!"
Kaoru, who had wielded the bokken that crashed onto the boy's head, crossed her arms, huffing. It had been the third time that night she had caught Yahiko trying to sneak a cup of saké. "I've already warned you twice, Yahiko, and besides, you're too young to be drinking!"
"I'm not little!"
Sanosuke had arrived home after a long game of gambling that evening. Surprisingly, Lady Luck had smiled upon him that day, and the dice had earned the ex-gangster more money than usually tipped his pockets and two jugs of saké.
One jug had already been drained, three quarters of it by Sano who was probably on his twentieth or thirtieth drink. Kenshin, on the other hand, had only taken one shallow cup, but Sano had egged him on between gurgling slurps; currently, the poor rurouni was slowly sipping on his third serving. Already, a delicate crimson was spreading across his nose and cheeks and he was blinking rapidly from blurring vision.
"Hey, Jou-chan, why not have another go...unless, of course, you can't hold your own....." he slurred off, loose fingers pouring more of the intoxicating drink for the umpteenth time.
Biting her lip, Kaoru threw daggers from her eyes that could have killed the rooster and his insult.
"Thank you, but I think I'll decline." She opened her mouth to say something else, when she stopped abruptly, pursing her lips as a grumble rose from her throat. Her hand shot out, grabbing Yahiko by the scruff of his neck as he was reaching for the saké.
"I don't think so Yahiko-CHAN!"
"Don't call me –CHAN you OLD HAG!!!"
Yahiko had pulled the last straw. And when he turned to bite Kaoru, he immediately faltered under her flaming blue eyes. "That's it! Off to bed with you."
Dragging him along behind her in the shadowed hallways, Kaoru ignored his protests and catcalls.
"...Rgh, let go of me!! You can't order me around! You're not my mother!!! You could never be a mother anyway because no man would ever like you since you are so mean and hideous!"
Kaoru almost tripped over her own feet as she slid to a halt. His words echoed in her mind. 'Mean....and hideous...? Am I really like that... Th—that no man would ever lo—like me?! Not even......'
Gulping, Kaoru let the fabric of Yahiko's collar slither from her fingers. Lifting her hands up, she lifted them to her chest, clenching them until her knuckles turned white. "Am I really so...horrible?" she murmured to herself, forgetting about Yahiko entirely.
Dew formed at the corners of her sapphire eyes and Kaoru shut her them, blinking tears away. Swallowing back sadness that wanted to pour over her face, Kaoru traipsed back to her room, head bowed, midnight strands falling to cover her clouded face.
"Was...was it something I said?" Yahiko muttered to himself, scratching the back of his head.
*````*
Sighing, Kaoru slid the shoji door shut, gaze wandering the darkness of her room. Her room alone.
Would it be a room she would never be able to share with someone else?
Would she die as an old woman, no one to continue the Kamiya ways besides the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu through Yahiko?
These thoughts ran over and over in her mind, as she changed into her white sleeping yukata without her mind even registering the habitual routine.
Not even bothering to loose her hair and braid it or hang her day's kimono, just leaving it pooled in disarray on the floor, Kaoru flopped down on top of her futon.
"Uuuuugh..." moaned Sano, lifting his heavy head that lolled on his neck. He stared around him, watching the walls waver until they fell on Kenshin's red head.
Kenshin's face was a deep red to rival his hair. His body was slouched against the far wall, head leaning against it in support. His violet eyes were hooded behind half closed lids, and they were dull and hazy.
Stumbling, Sano weakly pried himself off the floor, pressing a jelly-feeling arm to the wall to hold him up.
"Oi...Kenshin, I didn't know you had a twin......" he drawled.
Kenshin did not reply, and so Sano stumbled out of the room and its heavy atmosphere.
*````*
...
WUMP
Kaoru's eyes snapped open as a loud tumbling or falling noise reverberated in the dojo. Sitting up, she yawned, stretching like a cat.
She opened the shoji of her room, rubbing at her eyes as moonlight drifted into them. "H—hey, who's there?" she said aloud. There was no reply other than the echoing silence and the occasional cricket or trill of a night bird.
"Hello?"
Still no response.
Going back into her room, Kaoru readied herself with her bokken, gripping it in a hold prepared to strike at any moment.
Kaoru carefully made rounds in the dojo, inspecting every corridor and scrutinizing the shadows, careful at each turn.
Another muffled stumble caught her attention, and she hurried toward it. Kaoru found herself retracing her steps back to where their little party was held.
Kenshin, still in a mist of drunkenness, was sitting by the doorway. Broken glass gleamed in the room from pale iridescence.
Dropping her bokken with a clatter, Kaoru rushed over to him. "Kenshin!" she cried, "Are you all right?!"
Her concerned eyes fell upon his hand and her breath caught in her throat momentarily. Blood ran in thin rivulets down his palm and over his fingers. His eyes were almost closed, but hints of blue tinted violet could still be made out. Taking Kenshin, hand in hers, Kaoru inspected it.
Kenshin whimpered childishly in complaint in his stupor.
"Sshhh, shhh...it'll be okay Kenshin," she cooed softly. Running gentle fingers over his injured hand, Kaoru came across the gash where glass had pierced. Kenshin made as if to pull away, but Kaoru firmed her grip to hold him, but not too hard to further anguish him.
Diligently, she wiped away the blood with a feather's touch. Reaching up into her hair, she was glad she hadn't removed the ribbon from it yet.
Releasing the knot, Kaoru's dark hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back. She stared at the ribbon, instantly recognizing it as her favorite blue one that had been stained with his blood before. That had been a night she would never be able to forget...
Kaoru shook her head and forced the terrifying memory away from her mind's eye, rising up into the present again. Hastily she wrapped the silky cloth around his hand to ebb the flow of red.
Looking back up, Kaoru found his face shadowed by his long unique red bangs. "Kenshin..." she whispered, brushing aside the rogue strands.
At the mention of his name, Kenshin's head lifted, eyes opening to reveal dark violet.
Kaoru's caring hand fell from his forehead, down to trace his cross-shaped scar. And still, his lackluster eyes stared at her blankly.
'I'd better get him to his room...' Kaoru stood.
"Wow!" she cried as she was pulled back down, into Kenshin's arm. His eyes met hers for the first time that night.
"No...Don't leave..." he pleaded. Blushing, Kaoru realized their noses were brushing and began to pull away.
Kenshin's arms circled around her waist and he pulled her into a bone crushing embrace. "I'm sorry, Kaoru.....don't leave..." he moaned trancelike.
Belatedly, Kaoru noticed tears rolling down her cheeks. 'Just like...just like......'
*`` Flashback ``*
Anxiety etched all over her face, Kaoru watched the fireflies waltz with the shadows. Their soft glows that she used to watch in awe when she was younger were not as comforting now.
She was too worried about him.
The scraping of geta against the dusty ground caused her to whip her head up. She knew those footsteps well enough!!
It was Kenshin!
His grayed form loomed out of the darkness.
As always, he was clad in his magenta gi and white hakama, but now there was a difference to him. Ever since the vicious battle with Mibu's wolf he had been quieter and aloof. Kaoru hated it when Kenshin locked himself away, not wanting to confide in someone lest he burden them down.
Not only was his appearance grayer, but so was his ki and the slow way he walked over to her.
Kaoru's mind remained blank, a void where these next gentle words would echo forever;
"When you told me you didn't care about my past, I was so happy. I finally thought I could live the life I wanted to, as a normal person with a normal family. I was able to taste what it felt like to be free...even if it was for a little while...."
Eyes widening, Kaoru forgot to breath when Kenshin pulled her into an intense embrace.
'Kenshin!' her mind screamed. Kenshin's face burrowed in her neck, and Kaoru, unsure of how to react, remained stiff in his arms, feeling so weak and mind spinning at the sudden unexpected closeness.
"...For everything you have done for me, I thank you. And....." Kenshin murmured, his breaths fluttering the strands by her ear.
Belatedly, Kaoru noticed the warm tears that coursed down her cheeks, the tightness in her throat, and the deep clenching that overpowered her heart, her chest, making it so difficult to breath.
'No—Kami-sama! Please....do not let him leave me...Kenshin--!"
"......Goodbye..." Kenshin's warmth unwrapped itself from around her. Gasping, Kaoru collapsed, watching through tear blurred vision Kenshin's figure traipse away.
'No!' Overcome by her heart wrenching emotions that tumbled like a storm within her, Kaoru collapsed to the ground, her soul's true feelings pouring from her sobs.
*`` End Flashback ``*
"Don't worry Kenshin, I won't leave you...Being alone is....the worst experience I've ever had....I will always be there for you Kenshin...always be here to welcome you with open arms....."
Sniffing, Kaoru pulled Kenshin to her, resting his drowsy head in her lap. She smiled down at him, lapis lazuli orbs sparkling at him. A small smile graced his face and he closed his eyes in weariness.
Her fingers stroked his face, and his hand dressed with her ribbon lifted, falling to entwine with hers.
Kaoru's face brightened. With Kenshin around, she was never alone. His presence was such a comfort and source of warmth to her.
Tilting her head, Kaoru beamed up at the endless midnight blue and its twinkling companions high above.
Seems the stars of Fate had smiled upon her this evening.
*`` Owari ``*
Glossary:
Bokken: wooden sword
Busu: ugly, old hag
-chan: little
Jou-chan: little missy, it's what Sano calls Kaoru
Kami-sama: God, oh god!
Oi: hey
Owari: end
Rurouni: wanderer
End Notes: ^______^ Whee, this was fun to write! I have wanted to write something fluffy, and my friends have been bugging me to write it out when I first mentioned it.
Ah! And as for when Kenshin was saying goodbye in the flashback, I don't know if those are the exact words or not! ^o^;;
First Draft: 11/21/03
Final Draft: Friday, 12/05/03 (I was supposed to post this a while back, but I forgot..)
Short & Sweet!
Please...
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