Ieji...
After returning back to Seijuro's cabin, Kenshin promptly began gathering his
possessions, along with whatever Seijuro had left him in his farewell letter.
Within a few hours, he had sold the cabin to an elderly couple in need of
somewhere to live; since their home had burnt down on the outskirts of Kyoto. He
had found the trunk which held Seijuro's possessions beneath the fifth and sixth
floorboard from the door, just as the letter had explained. As for Seijuro's
katana, he kept that hidden at the bottom of the trunk, he didn't want to give
Kaoru the wrong impression. He understood what Tomoe and Seijuro wanted him to
do when it came to Kaoru and their relationship, but he wondered how things
might turn out if the feelings weren't mutual. As Kenshin closed the front door
of the cabin where so many of his memories had remained for so long, he smiled
slightly. Starting on his path back toward the dock, he avoided taking the
backroads. He wanted to leave Kyoto with a clean conscience, to have the
assurance that he could start over if he was to return, no matter how unlikely
that would have been. Taking those roads meant something different to him now.
That maybe he still felt like he wasn't worthy of being within the sight of
other people, at least not without having to feel like they secretly shunned
him. He no longer needed to hide. But all the while, his appearance remained the
same, the unchanging form of the once deadly Hitokiri Battousai. But when he
didn't get the strange looks from those whose paths he crossed day after day, or
even a whisper of fear; it was almost as if that venomous Hitokiri impression
had died with Seijuro.
"Shishou, arigatou..." His darkly shaded,
red-violet eyes drew themselves up toward the sky, the sunlight reflecting off
his irises and glittered through his lashes. For the sake of his health and his
strength, Kenshin had his things sent ahead of him two days in advance so they
could be loaded onto the boat he was scheduled to board. He had been traveling
for three and a half days total, and he was already close to the docking port in
Kobe, Osaka. He still had quite awhile before the boat was to leave, and he knew
almost exactly what he should do with that extra time. Walking through town, he
saw small restaraunts, painted picture stores, and clothing boutiques. He had
not eaten anything since his departure from Kyoto a few days ago, and his eyes
closed gently as he caught the smell of rice and fish. He checked his quota, and
he did have plenty of money on him for a small dinner. But as he started to
follow the smell of fish and rice, his eyes caught sight of something inside a
small booth in between two rather large booths. This booth was visibly open,
unlike the others, it had no doors on the outside; not even a curtain. Tearing
his aching stomach away from the thought of food for a moment, he walked calmly
over to the small booth where a small elderly woman was busy folding kimonos.
One kimono in particular caught his eye, a purple and white floral kimono, the
same one that Kaoru destroyed in order to help him. He knew how happy Kaoru
would be if she had that kimono, and without any further thought, he attempted
to get the attention of the woman behind the counter.
"A-Anone..." Kenshin wasn't sure whether or not
the lady was friendly, so he took precaution with his respect-o-meter,
regardless of how hungry and dead tired he was.
"Hai?" The little lady turned around with a huge
smile on her face, putting his fears of inhospitality to rest.
"How much would you ask for that purple and white
kimono, the one with the floral pattern?" Kenshin's eyes went back and
forth between the woman and kimono for awhile, then they came to a stop on the
woman's face, clearly resembling the act of thought.
"How much do you have?" the woman asked in a
light hearted tone.
"Er...sessha...um..." Kenshin fumbled around
inside the little bag he carried with him, hoping to find enough money to make
the woman a good offer.
"Well?" The smile on her face was still there,
and Kenshin could sense that she had patience, although he could also see that
he was testing hers a bit.
"Um..." as his hand came out of the small bag,
he was stunned, "...25,000 yen!?"
"Ohhhh, that's the best offer i've had all year, you
have yourself a deal um..namae wa nan desu ka?" She wanted his name.
Well, not wanted, but inquired. What was he going to tell her? Everyone
knew who Himura Battousai was, he was sure this woman could put two and two
together from Himura Kenshin. But then again...
"Sessha wa Himura Kenshin de gozaru.
Arigatou...er...?" It was his turn to exchange the questioning of names.
As he gently placed the yen into the elderly woman's frail hands, she turned to
retrieve the kimono he had asked her about. Upon reaching for a large, black
box, she realized that he had asked her a question.
"Oh! Gomen-nasai, Himura-san...watashi wa Matsuo Kiyomi
desu," replied the woman. Kenshin watched as she carefully placed the
kimono in the black box although it was a little too big for a small kimono, he
couldn't help but smile. The woman's small and delicate hands took precision
with placing the lid on so she wouldn't wrinkle the fabric that was now folded
neatly inside. "Here you are, Himura-san," said the
now very bubbly old woman, as she came toward him with the box held out in her
hands. Kenshin stretched his arms out and took hold of the box, and as he held
it in front of him, he noticed the design on the top was of red and gold
dragons. The box in itself was a present, it was done so well, with the work of
a truly skilled artist.
"Arigatou-gozaimasu, Kiyomi-dono." With one more
smile, he partially bowed in respect and turned to leave the little kimono
booth. All the while he couldn't stop thinking about how much this would mean to
Kaoru. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face, but mostly the look in her
eyes, when he gave it to her. Where did all that yen come from? He
couldn't remember having that much all at once even when he was the Hitokiri,
and he just happened to have it when he was buying this kimono. His glossy eyes
looked once again at the box he held in his hands, then they darted back up as
he heard the horn of the boat go off to signal that it would be leaving soon. As
Kenshin tucked the box under his right arm and ran as fast as he could toward
his nearly departing ride home, he remembered that Kiyomi had not known who he
was from anyone else who came along. For that, he was thankful, he could now get
home without any trouble.
Kitaku...
When Kenshin arrived in Tokyo three days later, he was famished, tired, and
his metabolism was very low. Considering he was in the best of shape in the past
and this would have never affected him so much as it did now. He knew it had to
be his age, and the fact that he had given up his hardcore Hitokiri life. Being
the killer he was had forced him to train and train hard, and he no longer
needed to do that, which put him somewhat out of shape. Due to his extreme
laziness at one point or another, Kenshin decided against walking home from the
docking bay and simply took a carriage back to the Kamiya Dojo where he knew his
friends would be waiting. The small black buggy made a surprisingly nice trip
back, although it erked Kenshin a little to hear the horse whiny from time to
time because he thought that there might be trouble. To hear the sound of the
wheels cracking and crunching over the loose stones, pebbles and dirt all in one
area made him feel like he was home. Upon boarding the carriage back at the
dock, Kenshin had placed the black box in the trunk that Seijuro had left him,
he didn't want it to be noticed by anyone before Kaoru got the chance to see it.
He was almost there, he stuck his head out of the window on the small carriage
door, he could see the dojo from an angle. Megumi was the first to come into his
line of view, she was in the back washing blankets and clothes, while Yahiko and
Sanosuke were the second to come into view. The carriage pulled up slowly on the
dusty road, stopping a little off center from the entryway of the Kamiya Dojo.
As Kenshin slowly exited the carriage, his eyes took a look around him to try
and notice any possible changes. The sakura trees were still in full bloom,
still leaving their remnants of withered petals lying scattered on the ground
below the branches they fell from. The mild afternoon breeze was feathering
through his hair, and he filled his lungs with the scent of spring as he took a
deep breath. But as he released that breath in a soft sigh, he almost fell over
when he saw he first saw his friends, they were...lounging on the front deck of
the dojo?! As Kenshin exited the carriage, he couldn't believe how lazy they had
become.
"Yo, Kenshin! It's about time you got back, now this
place can finally get clean," hollered Sanosuke in that husky voice of
his. Okay, maybe he could believe how lazy they had become. "Megumi and Jo-chan have been slacking off on their duties as the
women around this place!"
"Oro?!" Kenshin fled up the steps and directly
through the front door of the dojo. His jaw nearly dropped as he saw clothes
strewn everywhere, blankets and pillows laying about on the floor, a potted
bonzai plant that had fallen over, and a few plaques that had been hanging
crookedly on the wall. Sighing heavily, he scratched the back of his head,
"oorrroooo...t-tadaima." Sanosuke and Yahiko had
hauled Kenshin's things into his room from the carriage, while Megumi stood
outside, flirting with the naive young coachman.
"Is that so?" Megumi asked with her accompanying
'ho ho ho' laugh, the teasing fox ears beginning to grow.
"Oh yes, I can lift almost two times my own
weight!" The ecstatic young man was obviously showing off because he was
getting a major ego boost from Megumi's constant 'ooh ahh'ing. Megumi knew just
when to laugh and push the younger men to a point where they were blushing and
nervously laughing with her, and this kid was falling for it hard.
"Well, would you like to show me sometime what else you
can do wi--" Sanosuke's hand tightly gripped Megumi's arm as he cut her
short. She turned around just in time to see the sly grin on his face as he knew
he had ruined her fun. Why did this yakuza always get like this when she was
only having some harmless fun? Was he jealous? How could anyone like him be
jealous of anything? It wasn't like he had his name written on her or
anything. What did he expect her to do, fall madly in love with him at first
sight of his 'masculinity'? He had another thing coming.
"Hey fox! You're needed for unloading!"
Sanosuke's eyes fell to a slant and his hand tightened a little around her arm
when he saw her turn to the coachman to give him a meekly adorable smile. Why
did she always have to try and intimidate the crap out of him like that? And why
did it usually work? He never did these kinds of things with other women he
met, so why was he doing it now?
"Yeah Megumi-san! Help would be appreciated!"
Yahiko laughed under his breath. Sanosuke and Megumi remained outside arguing in
front of the poor clueless coachman, who was actually beginning to think that
they were married. Kenshin saw his chance and took leave to Kaoru's room,
noticing that her door was slightly ajar.
"Kaoru-dono?" He saw that her futon was still
unrolled, and she was sitting at the end of it, facing the wall.
"Kenshin?" She turned around upon hearing the
voice of the red-headed rurouni she had worried so much about over the past
week. Kenshin's eyes seemed to glow as they gazed upon the happiness that was
spreading over her face, he came to the realization that he truly missed seeing
her face while he was gone. The coal black shininess in her hair as the sun
caught it, the beautiful sparkle in her eyes when she spoke his name, he missed
it so much. She was also wearing a beautiful pale blue and white kimono that
day, the pale blue made the vivacious blues in her eyes stand out so much more
than before. Now that he was finally able to see it again, it eased the pain of
his loss, regardless of the extent. Knowing that he had Kaoru to come home to,
along with the other three bickering fools outside, made him realize that he
really did have a family that loved him and worried about him. Blood was simply
another kind of liquid at that point, it had no part in his mind or his heart,
these people were his family. But what was Kaoru to him if she was family?
What part of his family? A sister? A mother-figure? A...wife?
"Konnichiwa, I've returned to you in one peice."
His smile revealed itself although his questioning mind was running at full
speed.
"Kenshin!" She jumped up almost immediately and
wrapped her arms around him. "I protected your sakabatou while you were away,
and, and, I finally got Yahiko to stop calling me busu, and...I was so worried
about you, Kenshin!" His chest was beginning to ache again, not from the strain
of her weight, but from the pounding of his heart. Never, since Tomoe, did any
woman ever make his heart act up as it did at that moment. But Kaoru was so
different from Tomoe, he couldn't read Tomoe a lot of the time, but he expected
this kind of thing from Kaoru, he could read her almost indefinitely. Kaoru was
so open with her emotions, she wasn't afraid to let someone know if she was
hurting or suffering, especially if she was happy or overjoyed. That was the
inner beauty that complimented her outer beauty, she was one of the best things
that had ever happened to him. He had never seen this much specialness in one
woman since Tomoe, but why was he just beginning to see this before and even
after the death of Seijuro? Was his death a test or a warning? The sadness
that came with Seijuro's death brought on a whole new challenge for Kenshin, but
it also brought on a whole new outlook on his feelings for Kaoru. Seijuro was
right about what he had told him, as well as what Tomoe told him, he loved her.
Deep down in the farthest corner of his soul, he knew he loved her from the
moment she claimed that she wanted 'Kenshin' to stay, not the 'Battousai.'
But how in the world had he ever expected to tell her about his feelings?
"Yare yare, Kaoru-dono." His arms went around
her tightly for a moment, but released her as he heard her make a sound of
surprise. Her eyes were staring at him with confusion and questioning, he almost
knew what she was going to say.
"You still look like the--"
"I know. But I plan on putting away this appearance
forever now that my business in Kyoto is finished." Her eyes focused only
on his, not wanting to see anything else because the rest of it wasn't Kenshin.
His eyes reflected who he truly was, how and who she knew him to be. What did
he expect her to do upon returning with his Hitokiri appearance still in
tact? She wasn't scared of it anymore, but merely at a loss for words over
it. She never understood why he went to Kyoto looking like that in the first
place, but she didn't dare question it because she knew that Kenshin had his
reasons for everything he did and said. She trusted his reasons more than her
own questions, but one of these days, she would find out everything about him;
she had held him to his promise.
"Kenshin..." Kaoru's eyes sparkled as her face
turned to an angle. What she was about to ask him would take quite a lot of
courage on her part, she felt as if she was pressuring him to do something he
might not be ready to do yet, but she wanted the Kenshin that she was used to
seeing.
"Oro? Hai, Kaoru-dono?" As Kenshin's 'oro' face
appeared, his eyes locked onto her small frame, waiting for her to continue.
"Can you put away this appearance right now?"
Hearing this, she watched his mouth curve into a relieved smile as his confused
look just melted away.
"Mochiron, Kaoru-dono, mochiron..." He turned to
go and indulge Kaoru's request, but stopped half-way out the door and turned
back to face her. "Kaoru-dono...will you wait here for me?" He had a sort of
playful look on his face that Kaoru couldn't help but giggle at as she nodded in
agreement.
"Hai hai, now go and change before I lose my
mind." She shooed him out of her room and left the door open just enough
for her to see him return. He entered his room and shut the door behind him,
immediately going for a silver and black plated trunk in the far right corner.
Kneeling down before it, he lifted the lid to find his dark magenta and white
uniform. It was still neatly folded on top of everything else the trunk
contained. He pulled the clothes out of the trunk, and closed the lid gently,
remembering that he actually had breakables in there. As he slipped out of his
'Hitokiri' clothing, he let it fall to the floor, then he kicked it to the side.
Finally, as quick as he could, he slipped into the 'Kenshin' clothing that Kaoru
was used to seeing him in. No man would do things like this on a woman's whim if
he didn't feel something for her, would he? As he finished tying the belt
around his waist, he went over to the trunk he inherited from Seijuro, which
held the present he had bought for Kaoru on his way home. The large black,
rectangle shaped box really did look a little out of the ordinary, the
delicately painted red and gold dragons on the lid seemed as if they were
beckoning the holder to open it. He was ready to do this, or at least he felt
that he was ready. How would he react if she didn't feel the same? What in
the world would their relationship be like after that? It definitely
wouldn't be very open, especially if Kaoru knew how he felt about her and she
wasn't 'in the same boat,' as he tried to remember that western saying. Opening
the door to his room, he stepped out and shut the door behind him. Then he
silently tip-toed his way to Kaoru's room, so she wouldn't hear him. Her door
was still open, just enough for him to execute his thought-up-at-the-last-minute
plan.
"Kaoru-dono..." he whispered lightly, weaving
his hand through the small slit in the door to curl his index finger in an
attempt to get her to come out. She blinked, confused, and he was gone.
"Kenshin?" She jumped up, opened the door and
poked her head out to look around. No sign of anyone. "Kenshin?" She stepped out of her room, and walked toward
the front entrance of the dojo. Sanosuke, Megumi, and Yahiko were all standing
there with expressions on their faces suggesting that they knew something and
she didn't. They were all pointing toward the sakura trees, one hand over their
wickedly grinning mouths to prevent themselves from giving it away. Kaoru picked
up on the gist of what they were trying to tell her, and she rolled her eyes as
she passed each of them. As soon as she was outside, she found herself
practically running toward the sakura trees.
The Sakura Trees...
When she finally reached the small sakura forest, her lungs burned with pain
from being out of breath. She stumbled over to a sakura tree and let her small
body fall against it for support. As she remained there, her chest began to ache
as her heart began beating faster with each thought she had. Where had he
gone so quickly? He had not mentioned anything that happened in Kyoto,
was he trying to simply ignore it and make it go away by playing these games
with her? Maybe he might ask her to...oh of course not, why would he do a
thing like that? They hardly knew each other, and besides, he thought he was
too 'defiled' for her to touch him. She scoffed lightly at that thought as she
began to regain her breath, allowing her eyes to calmly search the area for any
sign of her strangely departed friend. She felt a hand on her wrist, but she was
too late to react against it. Her small body was spun to the other side of the
tree by an unknown person, but her fear-filled eyes calmed as they recognized
the person standing in front of her. Kenshin. He was simply standing there, arms
now folded in front of him in a mockingly impatient pose. She could see every
glint of light that reflected, as well as absorbed, into the hard and soft hued
violets of his eyes. She had never seen him looking so handsome as he did then,
but she could barely do a thing but stare at him as if she were in a trance.
"Kaoru-dono...it took you long enough..." The
corners of his mouth sliding outward into a coy grin.
"What is this all about, Kenshin?" She wasn't
quite sure what to make from all of this, but she had a feeling something was
going to happen that would change both of their lives. She had never seen
Kenshin act this way in the many months of their lives together, what was he
planning? Her heart was still pounding in that terribly fast rhythm, she was
afraid it would break through the ribcage that held it inside her chest.
"I have a confession. I knew this would be the perfect
place to tell you, because you love sakura blossoms." The emotions he
felt for her were getting stronger with every minute of his confession, he knew
it wouldn't be long now before she knew him inside and out. Her eyes were filled
with innocent thoughts, he knew she was trying to figure out why he had led her
all the way back to these trees. Did he really feel that he was ready for
this? He had never proposed marriage before, the first time marriage had
become a prospect for him; it was imposed and he had no other alternative.
What if he completely forgot what to say? No, he had to keep a clear mind
and tell her exactly what was in his heart, although if his didn't stop slamming
so hard against his chest she would get to see it firsthand.
"But...but what do sakura blossoms h-have to do with
your confession?" They both stood incredibly still. She watched as he
came closer to her, and as his right arm stretched out, his palm rested next to
her on the bark of the tree. He heard her laugh nervously as they both heard the
crunching and snapping of bark under the supreme weight of Kenshin's fingers.
His face was still a few feet away from hers, as was the rest of his body. His
bangs were hanging low over his eyes, even though she could still see them as
clear as always; she saw something else that almost gave Kenshin's
soon-to-be-told secret away. The soft red curves of his bangs softly pulsated,
moving back and forth in the rhythm of a fast, but steady heartbeat. She had no
clue about what to make of it. Suddenly, his face and his body inched in closer
to her, then they were only a few centimeters from one another. She could feel
his light breath against her skin as his eyes stared into hers. What was he
searching for? Why doesn't he just admit his confession? After a few
moments, she watched as Kenshin lightly dampened his lips and drew the palms of
his hands inward to rest on either side of her face. She gasped as she felt his
relatively warm hands touch her mildly cool skin, and at that very moment, it
was as if their hearts began to thrash inside their bodies at the same
breath-taking rhythm. As Kenshin held her beautifully clueless face in his
hands, their eyes caught each others' in an unshakable trance of what seemed
like perpetual bliss.
"Like you love sakura blossoms...I love you."
His words fell like rain on the crops of the early Japanese farmers, causing
Kaoru's emotions to grow at an unsteady pace. She never would have expected to
hear something like that from Kenshin, especially not now.
"N-Nani?" The blues in her eyes spiraled in a
daze, she was knocked for a complete loop at what she had just heard. He
loved her? She had never been loved by any man other than her father, and
that was a different love all together in the first place. But could this be
real love? Was he even so serious as to have the faintest notion of how this
could change their lives? She heard him laugh lightly, moving in a little
closer so that his lips were seconds from her ear, whispering his confession
once again to make sure it got through to her.
"Kaoru-dono...ai...shi...te...ru..." He wanted
to kiss her right then, but he decided against it and found that it would be
better if he knew her feelings before he took this any further. He smiled,
letting his hands fall to his sides as he stepped a few inches back from her.
She was obviously shocked, but was that a good or bad thing? He had never
told a woman that he loved her, at least not flat out like that. He showed it,
he probably even thought and felt it, but he never mentioned the romantic sense
of the word to anyone, even when he was with Tomoe.
"Kenshin...ata...atashi.." Her eyes followed him
backward, she simply couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she still had to
tell him how she felt. Telling him her feelings was the part that scared her the
most because she didn't want to hurt him or bring him too high for his own good.
"I have something for you...I bought it for you while I
was in Osaka..." He turned around briefly to snatch the black box from
behind a large grey rock, as he held it, he remained with his back to her. The
lid was placed on the box so carefully that he knew he would have a hard time
opening it, but he had claimed a stubborn streak and decided to try and pry the
lid off. Kaoru noticed that Kenshin was trying to open something, although what
it was, she didn't know. Her paled eyes stared at him from behind, and she
caught sight of a feature of his past that he failed to put to rest. He had not
taken his hair down from that Hitokiri-like ponytail, and her eyes almost
brimmed with tears to see him that way, it just wasn't Kenshin. She brushed the
tears from the corners of her eyes and stepped up behind him. She knew that he
wouldn't attack her this time because he had already known she was there, plus,
she cleared her throat every so often as she got closer to him; for extra
precaution. As she lifted her hands to untie the cord that held his hair, she
felt him jump lightly under her touch. Pulling the cord free, she watched as his
hair fell in loose ribbons behind him, while a few thick strands hung about his
shoulders. In the same instant he abandoned his task and turned to confront her,
their eyes met again, only this time they could almost sense each others
feelings.
"Kenshin, atashi--"
"Shhhhh..." he barely touched his index finger
to her lips, hushing her with the serene look that danced in his eyes. Smiling
softly, he pryed the lid open with a few simple pulls from each corner of the
lid. Why didn't he think of that before? As he turned back around to face
her, he handed her the box with both hands. What Kaoru saw almost made her break
into tears. The box contained a brand new kimono that was an exact duplicate of
the one she had willingly ruined to make a bandage for Kenshin's hand. Kaoru's
mind began to wander, why did he do this? Where did he get that kind of
money? What was he thinking when he bought it? She helped him out of the
goodness of her heart, the kimono meant nothing to her compared to Kenshin's
health. They were so close, and she had not moved from her spot when she had
taken it upon herself to dislocate his ponytail of silky red hair.
"Ke..Kenshin..." Her eyes were still focused on
the kimono in sheer awe, she had no idea he would do something like this for
her. "...Atashi...arig--" he pressed his middle and
index fingers gently to her lips this time, silencing her once more. Her eyes
immediately magnetized to his expression, which mirrored total seriousness.
"Kaoru-dono...before we both say anymore...I need to
hear it from you first, I-I need to know what you're feeling..." As he
let his fingers slide from her lips to give her a chance to answer, he found
that it took a little effort on her part just to get her thoughts straight;
Kami-sama only knew how cluttered they must have been with everything he had
told her.
"Ai...aishiteru Ken...shin...aishiteru..." She
repeated it to herself over and over, finally allowing the tears to break
through the barrier of her thick black lashes. Realizing for the first time that
she truly loved him, her feelings were always such a mystery when it came to
this man, but now they were magnified ten-fold. They both knew, and they both
were ingulfed in the truth of their once hidden emotions. They had definitely
always respected, cared for, and admired one another for so many different
reasons, but never had they both admitted to any of it verbally. It was always
such a play for them, they do little things to show their concern or feelings
for each other, but when it came down to it, they were still lying to themselves
about what they were really missing. The fuse had been lit so many months ago,
it was just waiting for the detonation that would come from the crystal clear
truth they kept deep within their hearts.
"Good. Kamiya Kaoru...will you...will you marry
me?" As her eyes fell closed, he watched the tears stream in hot,
transparent trails down the sides of her face. Her mouth curved into one of the
most happiest smiles he had ever seen, especially from her.
"Saranari Kenshin...saranari..." Now, with that
reply, what should have crossed his mind was that she might not be ready for
marriage, but a back-up thought surfaced quickly to re-assure him that this was
going to start out as a betrothal; not an immediate wedding. They had plenty of
time to make it to the wedding stage of their life, for now, he just wanted them
to grow as close as they possibly could. So, hearing her whispered agreement, he
leaned in just enough to feel his lips brush against hers lightly, replying with
the same soft whisper.
"Utsukushii
Kaoru-dono...aishiteru....itsumademo..." Kenshin's arms eased their way
around Kaoru's back as he pulled her body closer, letting his lips touch hers in
a gentle kiss. They both knew nothing was left unsaid, it was all out in the
open now, they didn't have to hide their feelings from each other ever again. As
Kaoru wrapped her arms delicately around his neck, Kenshin lifted her into his
embrace, holding her as close to him as he was allowed. Their heartbeats had
long since calmed down, although they remained beating in precisely the same
rapid rhythm. He carried her to a much more secluded area of sakura trees where
no one could interrupt them. Upon reaching his destination, he gently let her
down onto the cool grass below. Then, as if it had been on impulse, he slowly
sat down with his back against one of the bigger sakura trees. Once he had made
himself comfortable, he grasped Kaoru's hand with both of his and tenderly
pulled her into his arms. As she lay there, wrapped up in strong, protective
embrace, she had never felt the immortal security she had felt then. It was like
nothing could tear them apart anymore, not sad memories of the past, not even
the embarrassment of telling each other their feelings. Just as Kenshin was
about to say something, Kaoru inched herself up a bit, and allowed her face to
turn toward his. He loosened his grip around her slightly, letting her body move
in between his body and his arms. She brought one hand up, touching the tips of
her fingers to the sides of his face. First, she traced over his scars with her
delicate fingertips, then she trailed down his jawline, and finally back up to
softly caress his lips. His eyes shifted back and forth between her eyes and her
mouth, he wanted to kill himself for feeling like he had won her over already.
She wanted to touch his face more, she felt that if she could do this, she would
be able to finally understand the pain and suffering he had been through, even
it if was just a fraction of understanding. She began to lift her delicate arms,
but she was stopped short when Kenshin's strong hands gently enveloped her tiny
wrists, holding them in between their bodies.
"Daijoubu Kenshin?" She just stared at him as
she had done something wrong, but that notion was quickly put to rest as he
pulled her toward him, his hands still around her wrists. Their lips met once
again in a sultry, passionate kiss. But this time she noticed that he didn't
hold anything back. He freed her wrists so that he could place his hands on
either side of her face again, and as he did this, she took her chance. Her arms
slowly came up, and her fingers easily snaked through his soft red hair. She had
never known this feeling, to be madly in love with someone, to have them madly
in love with her, and they both knew their own feelings as well as each others.
She fell into a world of sheer paradise, her love for this man had grown in such
a short time, she couldn't believe how stupid she was not to have noticed it
sooner. Kenshin broke the kiss gently, allowing them both to breath, then their
eyes found each others. She didn't even notice as he brought one hand up,
mingling his fingers within her hair. It was so soft, full of shine and glowing
with it's normal jet black radiance. They both smiled in unison, and as Kaoru
turned back around to get comfortable again. Her long, thin fingers found their
way in between his, and he encircled his arms around her tightly, their hands
still entwined. They both settled their bodies down as if they were going to
rest. But Kenshin spent the rest of the day and following weeks keeping his
promise to Kaoru, he held her close to him as he began to tell her all about his
past.
Translation Notes
The meanings vary for how
the word is used, so I'll just use the definition for the way I've used them
here.
Konnichiwa: Literally translates to "hello."
Yare
yare: Can mean "oh dear" or "dear me."
Saranari: Literally
translates to "of course."
Atashi: Kaoru's ( or female ) way of
saying "I."
Aishiteru: Can be translated as "I love you."
Utsukushii: Literally translates to "beautiful."
Nani:
Literally translates to "what."
Itsumademo: Literally translates to
"forever" or "eternally."
Mochiron: Can mean "certainly," "of
course," or "naturally." The first two work way better because they are more
formal than the third.
Oro: Kenshin fans should know this. But it you
don't, it's Kenshin-style for being surprised or caught off guard.
Hai: Literally means "yes."
Arigatou: Literally means
thank you.
Watashi wa Kiyomi Matsuo desu: Literally means "my name is
Kiyomi Matsuo."
Sessha wa Himura Kenshin de gozaru: Literally means
"my name is Himura Kenshin." The de gozaru part is just Kenshin's way of
respect, he uses this alot I've noticed. ^_^;
Namae wa nan desu ka:
Basically means "what is your name."
Gomen-nasai: Literally means
"sorry."
Anone: Litereally means "excuse me."
Shishou:
Again, this is what Kenshin called Seijuro, it meant "master" or "teacher".
Ieji: Literally means "the road home."
Kitaku: Literally
means "returning home."
25,000 yen: anyone know how much this is
equivelant to in dollars? I remember seeing it somewhere and I know I have the
yen right, I just need the dollar transition. For the Meiji Era the Japanese
currency to American currency was way different, if you could help me I'd really
be happy ^_^.
Comments? Suggestions? Did you like it? Go
ahead and email me. ^_^
