"Kaoru no Hatsukoi???"
by DQBunny
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine. Too
bad. I could use a red-haired rurouni in my life. Oh
well, he, Kaoru, and the others all belong to Watsuki
Nobuhiro. The original concept for "Ami-chan no
Hatsukoi" belongs to Takeuchi Naoko.
*****
Part Three – This Kiss
Hajime Saitou looked up from his work and pulled out
a cigarette. Outside the window, he saw the Kenshingumi
walk down the street. No, it was more like marching. The
unleashed fury contained among the group could be sensed
even by someone with less developed senses than himself.
Saitou lit the cigarette. "So, Battousai is on the
prowl," he commented, taking a drag from the cigarette.
"Looks like something worth watching." He pushed himself
away from the desk and headed out the door.
*****
Kenshin could not deal with the emotions that drove
him toward the place where Tsubame said where Kaoru was
suppose to be. If she wanted to marry someone else, it was
her choice. After all, if you love someone, you're suppose
to make sure they're happy. Right?
Wrong, buddy! Unless happiness is with you.
Maa...maa...I've been trying to tell you for months, you
should had jumped her as soon as she walked into Hiko's
door in Kyoto...
"URUSAI!!" Kenshin roared, coming to a halt. Yahiko
plowed into him, and Sanosuke into him. All three ended up
in a pile on the ground.
"Orrrrooooo," Kenshin groaned.
"Get off of me you fat thug!" Yahiko yelled at Sano.
"Man, you've put on some weight!"
Sano jumped off of Yahiko and snatched him up by his
gi. "Who're you calling fat?"
"You!" Yahiko kicked at him. "Even with eating
busu's cooking!"
"Her cooking can only be called lethal," Sano
commented. Yahiko stopped struggling. He had to agree
with Sanosuke on that one.
"This is the place!" Tsubame pointed to the park
across the street from them. "Look!"
Kenshin got to his feet and approached the park
entrance, his friends behind him. His violet eyes widened
as he took in the lavish party setting before him. The
rows of tables were now ladened with food. The park was
filled to bursting with men and women of all ages, wearing
both Western and traditional clothing. It had to be the
biggest party he'd ever seen.
"Su...sugoi," Yahiko whispered, looking around.
"Man, look at all the food! This knocks the Akabeko
clear out of the water!" Sanosuke added.
"Excuse me?" Tae glared at Sano. "Who allows you to
keep a running tab at my place?"
"Gomen, gomen," Sano grinned sheepishly, running a
hand through his unruly hair.
Kenshin stepped carefully into the park, like the
respectful rurouni he tried to be. Like a child, his eyes
drank in the sights of wealthy people partying. Whoever
Kaoru had met must be really well off. Better off than
himself. Self-doubt began to nag at him. Who was he
kidding? He could never afford to do this for Kaoru! She
deserved this. She deserved so much more...
He winced as a sharp pain resonated through a small
part of his brain. Okay, I killed Self-Doubt. Now, find
your woman!
Kenshin frowned. You killed my self-doubt?
Hey, if I didn't, who would?
Kenshin scowled at Sanosuke, who had his back turned
to him. The ex-gangster had snuck over to one of the
tables and was now flirting with one of the women there
while helping himself to the food. Sano picked up a gyoza
and popped it in his mouth. His face turned about three
different shades of green before he managed to swallow it.
"Hey, this is good," Yahiko commented, walking over
to Kenshin while munching on some onigiri. "I thought Sano
liked gyoza," he added, taking another piece of onigiri off
of another plate. He took one bite and promptly spat it
out. "Gross! That stuff's horrible! It even makes
Kaoru's taste good!"
Kenshin frowned. "That's odd," he commented.
"Wouldn't a big party like this be catered by one person?
After all, if you're rich, surely you can afford good
food."
"Kenshin-san!" Tae appeared by Kenshin's side and
grabbed hold of his gi. "Look on that platform!"
Kenshin's gaze swung to the platform at the opposite
end of the park and saw two people standing on it. One was
a fat man dressed in Western-style clothing and the other
was a small woman with black hair dressed in a blue kimono.
"Kaoru-dono," he whispered, feeling elated to see her.
Inside his body, Jealously broke loose from its
buried cavern and surged through him. His eyes hardened,
the Battousai within slowly awakening. He would kill that
man. Wait. He couldn't kill him. Damn it! The one time
it wouldn't bother him either.
But, then again, Kaoru should be happy...
I THOUGHT I KILLED YOU! Kenshin winced as his self-
doubt was destroyed once more.
"It's Jo-chan!" Sanosuke exclaimed. He raised his
hands and hollered. "Yo!! Jo-chan!"
"Nice and subtle, ahou. Nice and subtle," Yahiko
groaned.
"I don't think she can hear us," Tae said.
"Something's going on up there."
The fat man started talking to Kaoru. She smiled,
then blushed. Jealously boiled through Kenshin.
Then the man took her hand.
Kenshin shoved the nearest man out of the way and
marched toward the platform. Sanosuke and Yahiko flanked
him, bodies tensed for battle. Behind them, Tae led
Tsubame through the crowd. Tae looked every determined as
Kenshin did while Tsubame apologized profusely to the
people around them.
At the back of the crowd, Saitou took a puff of his
cigarette and watched the scene unfold before him.
The blood roared between Kenshin's ears. His eyes
remained fixed on Kaoru, on the stars in her eyes and the
pink in her cheeks. She was blinded! He had to stop her,
and he had to stop her now. He was going to tell her.
Tell her everything. Then she'll leave the fat man and
come back to him and he would spend the rest of his life
worshipping the very ground she walked on. Sounded like a
good plan to him.
Kenshin marched onto the platform and froze several
feet from Kaoru's back. The fat man stopped talking to
Kaoru and glared at him. "Who are you? What do you want?"
Kaoru whirled around. "Kenshin!" she cried.
Kenshin froze. Self-doubt reincarnated for the third
time since he left the Akabeko and kept him rooted to the
spot just feet away from Kaoru. He tried talking, but no
words came out of his mouth. Confusion and embarassment
reflected in Kaoru's eyes, but something else as well. Was
it....was it joy? Was she happy to be getting married to
this man in Western clothing?
He managed to get one of his feet to work. His left
one. Kenshin took a step toward her. "Kaoru-dono," he
whispered hoarsely.
"Watch it you fool!" Yahiko yelled at Sanosuke, right
before the two somehow fell into Kenshin.
Kenshin toppled forward, squalling "Orrrooooo" as he
reached out for the nearest solid thing to hold on to.
Kaoru.
Kenshin's arms wrapped around Kaoru's waist and his lips
crashed down on top of hers.
For the rest of his life, Kenshin would replay this moment
frame by frame. Surely the gods were on his side during
that one moment in time. Lord knows, he needed a little
divine intervention.
One moment, he was falling forward. The next, he was
steady on his feet with Kaoru in his arms. For a split
second, shock held his body rigid as he realized that he
was finally kissing Kaoru. His lips relaxed against hers,
and his arms tightened around her waist, drawing her closer
to him. After a moment, Kaoru's hands hesistantly reached
up and threaded through his hair.
Somehow, Kenshin heard a small moan of pleasure. He didn't
know if it had come from him or her. He didn't care. One
of his hands worked its way up from her waist to cup the
back of her head and gently angle it sideways to give him
better access to her mouth. A small gasp from her and he
immediately took advantage of the small movement to deepen
the kiss. His lips gently bruised hers and oxygen started
to become a precious commodity. But, he didn't care. Oh,
he didn't care any longer.
What was even better was now that he had taken the kiss
further, Kaoru became very active in it, participating
in it with the same heart and soul she put into Kamiya
Kasshin Ryu. Their eyes fluttered shut.
Behind them, Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Tae watched with with
stunned expressions. Out near the park entrance, the
cigarette dangled forgotton fron Saitou's lips as he
watched Kenshin and Kaoru declare their feelings
very...publicly to say the least.
"Nice going, Kenshin!" Sanosuke cheered. "Didn't know you
had it in you!"
Sano's voice combined with the desperate need to breathe
broke through the hazy fog of passion that developed around
the couple. Kenshin slowly broke off the kiss, sucking
gently at Kaoru's lower lip for a moment before lifting his
mouth away from hers completely. If that didn't tell her
his intentions, nothing would.
Fighting down the blush that threatened to destory the
moment, Kenshin stared deeply into Kaoru's closed eyes,
willing her lids to open. His arms tightened around her
waist. After a moment, they did, her eyes shining with
tears.
"Kaoru," Kenshin whispered, hoarsely. "Please, don't do
it. I beg of you, do go through with this."
"Huh?" Kaoru blinked. "Go through with what?"
Kenshin slowly broke away from her and backed up a few
steps. He gestured to the fat man and the crowd, who
watched the ongoing scene enraptured. "This. Please,
don't go through with whatever you're doing here."
"But...I've already done it," Kaoru stammered.
"NANI?" Everyone screamed. Kenshin's heart stopped.
"See? I won too," Kaoru held out a blue ribbon toward him.
Kenshin took the ribbon, silently cursing the fact that his
hands shook like a leaf. The ribbon looked like a Western-
style prize with a large "1" printed on it. Everyone
crowded around him and stared at the ribbon, then at Kaoru,
then back at the ribbon.
"Exactly what did you win?" Sanosuke asked, scratching his
head.
"The cooking contest, baka!"
"Cooking..," Tae sounded out.
"Contest?" Tsubame finished. Everyone looked up at Kaoru.
She placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "Hai, what
did you think it was?"
"Uh..." The group gave each other sheepish looks, then one
by one their faces turned beet red.
"Gomen nasai, Kaoru-san," Tsubame said, scruffing the
ground with her toe. "You see, I thought you were getting
married."
"Nani?" Kaoru gasped.
Tsubame nodded.
"Well...well, you didn't help matters by being so
secretive!" Yahiko blurted out. "You didn't tell anyone
where you were going for days! We thought you had a
boyfriend or something!"
"Mou, baka! This is suppose to be a surprise! Besides,
how could I love anyone but Kenshin?" Kaoru yelled at him.
She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Her face
quickly rivaled the color of Kenshin's hair. Her gaze shot
to the ground.
Tae, Tsubame, Yahiko, and Sanosuke stared at Kenshin to get
his reaction. The rurouni stood, looking shell-shocked.
"Go on, go on," Sano elbowed him. "This is when you're
suppose to profess your undying devotion to her, get down
on your knees, and propose."
"Eeesh, some ex-gangster you make," Yahiko teased Sano.
"You have a heart of mochi."
"I heard that!" Sano yanked Yahiko up by his gi. "Care to
repeat that?"
"Make me shut up!"
"Calm down, Yahiko-chan!" Tsubame turned her attention to
the fighting men.
"Don't call me 'chan'!"
"Quiet down, you two," Tae said in a soothing voice.
Meanwhile, Kenshin and Kaoru stared at each other, not
quite sure what to say.
"Kaoru-dono, sessha wa...," Kenshin started to explain.
Kaoru sighed and turned away. "I know you didn't mean it."
"Huh?"
"The kiss. I know it was just an accident. You ran into
me. This entire thing's been a mess. I only signed up for
the lessons so I could be a better cook for you and
Yahiko," Kaoru's hand tightened in the folds of her kimono.
"I wanted it to be a surprise, and now it's just a mess. I
wish I never...huh?"
Kaoru's words were silenced as Kenshin's lips bit off
the rest of her sentence and her senses with a second kiss.
He stared at her with determination. "Mo aishiteru,
Kaoru," he stated firmly.
Kaoru did not bother to check her tears. They streamed
down her cheeks.
At the back of the audience, Saitou watched, the ghost of a
smile playing with the corners of his mouth. He turned
around and left as silently as he entered, finishing his
cigarette as he did so. The Battousai had finally gotten
what he deserved.
*****
Small Japanese/English list:
Busu - ugly
Urusai – Shut up!
Sessha wa – Kenshin's humbling way of referring to himself
Mo aishiteru – I love you too.
Kaoru no Hatsukoi? - Kaoru's First Love
by DQBunny
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine. Too
bad. I could use a red-haired rurouni in my life. Oh
well, he, Kaoru, and the others all belong to Watsuki
Nobuhiro. The original concept for "Ami-chan no
Hatsukoi" belongs to Takeuchi Naoko.
*****
Part Three – This Kiss
Hajime Saitou looked up from his work and pulled out
a cigarette. Outside the window, he saw the Kenshingumi
walk down the street. No, it was more like marching. The
unleashed fury contained among the group could be sensed
even by someone with less developed senses than himself.
Saitou lit the cigarette. "So, Battousai is on the
prowl," he commented, taking a drag from the cigarette.
"Looks like something worth watching." He pushed himself
away from the desk and headed out the door.
*****
Kenshin could not deal with the emotions that drove
him toward the place where Tsubame said where Kaoru was
suppose to be. If she wanted to marry someone else, it was
her choice. After all, if you love someone, you're suppose
to make sure they're happy. Right?
Wrong, buddy! Unless happiness is with you.
Maa...maa...I've been trying to tell you for months, you
should had jumped her as soon as she walked into Hiko's
door in Kyoto...
"URUSAI!!" Kenshin roared, coming to a halt. Yahiko
plowed into him, and Sanosuke into him. All three ended up
in a pile on the ground.
"Orrrrooooo," Kenshin groaned.
"Get off of me you fat thug!" Yahiko yelled at Sano.
"Man, you've put on some weight!"
Sano jumped off of Yahiko and snatched him up by his
gi. "Who're you calling fat?"
"You!" Yahiko kicked at him. "Even with eating
busu's cooking!"
"Her cooking can only be called lethal," Sano
commented. Yahiko stopped struggling. He had to agree
with Sanosuke on that one.
"This is the place!" Tsubame pointed to the park
across the street from them. "Look!"
Kenshin got to his feet and approached the park
entrance, his friends behind him. His violet eyes widened
as he took in the lavish party setting before him. The
rows of tables were now ladened with food. The park was
filled to bursting with men and women of all ages, wearing
both Western and traditional clothing. It had to be the
biggest party he'd ever seen.
"Su...sugoi," Yahiko whispered, looking around.
"Man, look at all the food! This knocks the Akabeko
clear out of the water!" Sanosuke added.
"Excuse me?" Tae glared at Sano. "Who allows you to
keep a running tab at my place?"
"Gomen, gomen," Sano grinned sheepishly, running a
hand through his unruly hair.
Kenshin stepped carefully into the park, like the
respectful rurouni he tried to be. Like a child, his eyes
drank in the sights of wealthy people partying. Whoever
Kaoru had met must be really well off. Better off than
himself. Self-doubt began to nag at him. Who was he
kidding? He could never afford to do this for Kaoru! She
deserved this. She deserved so much more...
He winced as a sharp pain resonated through a small
part of his brain. Okay, I killed Self-Doubt. Now, find
your woman!
Kenshin frowned. You killed my self-doubt?
Hey, if I didn't, who would?
Kenshin scowled at Sanosuke, who had his back turned
to him. The ex-gangster had snuck over to one of the
tables and was now flirting with one of the women there
while helping himself to the food. Sano picked up a gyoza
and popped it in his mouth. His face turned about three
different shades of green before he managed to swallow it.
"Hey, this is good," Yahiko commented, walking over
to Kenshin while munching on some onigiri. "I thought Sano
liked gyoza," he added, taking another piece of onigiri off
of another plate. He took one bite and promptly spat it
out. "Gross! That stuff's horrible! It even makes
Kaoru's taste good!"
Kenshin frowned. "That's odd," he commented.
"Wouldn't a big party like this be catered by one person?
After all, if you're rich, surely you can afford good
food."
"Kenshin-san!" Tae appeared by Kenshin's side and
grabbed hold of his gi. "Look on that platform!"
Kenshin's gaze swung to the platform at the opposite
end of the park and saw two people standing on it. One was
a fat man dressed in Western-style clothing and the other
was a small woman with black hair dressed in a blue kimono.
"Kaoru-dono," he whispered, feeling elated to see her.
Inside his body, Jealously broke loose from its
buried cavern and surged through him. His eyes hardened,
the Battousai within slowly awakening. He would kill that
man. Wait. He couldn't kill him. Damn it! The one time
it wouldn't bother him either.
But, then again, Kaoru should be happy...
I THOUGHT I KILLED YOU! Kenshin winced as his self-
doubt was destroyed once more.
"It's Jo-chan!" Sanosuke exclaimed. He raised his
hands and hollered. "Yo!! Jo-chan!"
"Nice and subtle, ahou. Nice and subtle," Yahiko
groaned.
"I don't think she can hear us," Tae said.
"Something's going on up there."
The fat man started talking to Kaoru. She smiled,
then blushed. Jealously boiled through Kenshin.
Then the man took her hand.
Kenshin shoved the nearest man out of the way and
marched toward the platform. Sanosuke and Yahiko flanked
him, bodies tensed for battle. Behind them, Tae led
Tsubame through the crowd. Tae looked every determined as
Kenshin did while Tsubame apologized profusely to the
people around them.
At the back of the crowd, Saitou took a puff of his
cigarette and watched the scene unfold before him.
The blood roared between Kenshin's ears. His eyes
remained fixed on Kaoru, on the stars in her eyes and the
pink in her cheeks. She was blinded! He had to stop her,
and he had to stop her now. He was going to tell her.
Tell her everything. Then she'll leave the fat man and
come back to him and he would spend the rest of his life
worshipping the very ground she walked on. Sounded like a
good plan to him.
Kenshin marched onto the platform and froze several
feet from Kaoru's back. The fat man stopped talking to
Kaoru and glared at him. "Who are you? What do you want?"
Kaoru whirled around. "Kenshin!" she cried.
Kenshin froze. Self-doubt reincarnated for the third
time since he left the Akabeko and kept him rooted to the
spot just feet away from Kaoru. He tried talking, but no
words came out of his mouth. Confusion and embarassment
reflected in Kaoru's eyes, but something else as well. Was
it....was it joy? Was she happy to be getting married to
this man in Western clothing?
He managed to get one of his feet to work. His left
one. Kenshin took a step toward her. "Kaoru-dono," he
whispered hoarsely.
"Watch it you fool!" Yahiko yelled at Sanosuke, right
before the two somehow fell into Kenshin.
Kenshin toppled forward, squalling "Orrrooooo" as he
reached out for the nearest solid thing to hold on to.
Kaoru.
Kenshin's arms wrapped around Kaoru's waist and his lips
crashed down on top of hers.
For the rest of his life, Kenshin would replay this moment
frame by frame. Surely the gods were on his side during
that one moment in time. Lord knows, he needed a little
divine intervention.
One moment, he was falling forward. The next, he was
steady on his feet with Kaoru in his arms. For a split
second, shock held his body rigid as he realized that he
was finally kissing Kaoru. His lips relaxed against hers,
and his arms tightened around her waist, drawing her closer
to him. After a moment, Kaoru's hands hesistantly reached
up and threaded through his hair.
Somehow, Kenshin heard a small moan of pleasure. He didn't
know if it had come from him or her. He didn't care. One
of his hands worked its way up from her waist to cup the
back of her head and gently angle it sideways to give him
better access to her mouth. A small gasp from her and he
immediately took advantage of the small movement to deepen
the kiss. His lips gently bruised hers and oxygen started
to become a precious commodity. But, he didn't care. Oh,
he didn't care any longer.
What was even better was now that he had taken the kiss
further, Kaoru became very active in it, participating
in it with the same heart and soul she put into Kamiya
Kasshin Ryu. Their eyes fluttered shut.
Behind them, Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Tae watched with with
stunned expressions. Out near the park entrance, the
cigarette dangled forgotton fron Saitou's lips as he
watched Kenshin and Kaoru declare their feelings
very...publicly to say the least.
"Nice going, Kenshin!" Sanosuke cheered. "Didn't know you
had it in you!"
Sano's voice combined with the desperate need to breathe
broke through the hazy fog of passion that developed around
the couple. Kenshin slowly broke off the kiss, sucking
gently at Kaoru's lower lip for a moment before lifting his
mouth away from hers completely. If that didn't tell her
his intentions, nothing would.
Fighting down the blush that threatened to destory the
moment, Kenshin stared deeply into Kaoru's closed eyes,
willing her lids to open. His arms tightened around her
waist. After a moment, they did, her eyes shining with
tears.
"Kaoru," Kenshin whispered, hoarsely. "Please, don't do
it. I beg of you, do go through with this."
"Huh?" Kaoru blinked. "Go through with what?"
Kenshin slowly broke away from her and backed up a few
steps. He gestured to the fat man and the crowd, who
watched the ongoing scene enraptured. "This. Please,
don't go through with whatever you're doing here."
"But...I've already done it," Kaoru stammered.
"NANI?" Everyone screamed. Kenshin's heart stopped.
"See? I won too," Kaoru held out a blue ribbon toward him.
Kenshin took the ribbon, silently cursing the fact that his
hands shook like a leaf. The ribbon looked like a Western-
style prize with a large "1" printed on it. Everyone
crowded around him and stared at the ribbon, then at Kaoru,
then back at the ribbon.
"Exactly what did you win?" Sanosuke asked, scratching his
head.
"The cooking contest, baka!"
"Cooking..," Tae sounded out.
"Contest?" Tsubame finished. Everyone looked up at Kaoru.
She placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "Hai, what
did you think it was?"
"Uh..." The group gave each other sheepish looks, then one
by one their faces turned beet red.
"Gomen nasai, Kaoru-san," Tsubame said, scruffing the
ground with her toe. "You see, I thought you were getting
married."
"Nani?" Kaoru gasped.
Tsubame nodded.
"Well...well, you didn't help matters by being so
secretive!" Yahiko blurted out. "You didn't tell anyone
where you were going for days! We thought you had a
boyfriend or something!"
"Mou, baka! This is suppose to be a surprise! Besides,
how could I love anyone but Kenshin?" Kaoru yelled at him.
She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Her face
quickly rivaled the color of Kenshin's hair. Her gaze shot
to the ground.
Tae, Tsubame, Yahiko, and Sanosuke stared at Kenshin to get
his reaction. The rurouni stood, looking shell-shocked.
"Go on, go on," Sano elbowed him. "This is when you're
suppose to profess your undying devotion to her, get down
on your knees, and propose."
"Eeesh, some ex-gangster you make," Yahiko teased Sano.
"You have a heart of mochi."
"I heard that!" Sano yanked Yahiko up by his gi. "Care to
repeat that?"
"Make me shut up!"
"Calm down, Yahiko-chan!" Tsubame turned her attention to
the fighting men.
"Don't call me 'chan'!"
"Quiet down, you two," Tae said in a soothing voice.
Meanwhile, Kenshin and Kaoru stared at each other, not
quite sure what to say.
"Kaoru-dono, sessha wa...," Kenshin started to explain.
Kaoru sighed and turned away. "I know you didn't mean it."
"Huh?"
"The kiss. I know it was just an accident. You ran into
me. This entire thing's been a mess. I only signed up for
the lessons so I could be a better cook for you and
Yahiko," Kaoru's hand tightened in the folds of her kimono.
"I wanted it to be a surprise, and now it's just a mess. I
wish I never...huh?"
Kaoru's words were silenced as Kenshin's lips bit off
the rest of her sentence and her senses with a second kiss.
He stared at her with determination. "Mo aishiteru,
Kaoru," he stated firmly.
Kaoru did not bother to check her tears. They streamed
down her cheeks.
At the back of the audience, Saitou watched, the ghost of a
smile playing with the corners of his mouth. He turned
around and left as silently as he entered, finishing his
cigarette as he did so. The Battousai had finally gotten
what he deserved.
*****
Small Japanese/English list:
Busu - ugly
Urusai – Shut up!
Sessha wa – Kenshin's humbling way of referring to himself
Mo aishiteru – I love you too.
Kaoru no Hatsukoi? - Kaoru's First Love
