Wahaha. you didn't expect them to KISS, did ya? Or maybe you did. =.=
Anyways, on with the story!
*
-chapter 6-
Slowly, Kaoru tilted her head upwards. She knew this moment must be treasured. She shut her eyes in bliss. Lightly, her lips touched his. Kaoru pressed closer to Kenshin. Oh, this was the love she had always wanted. The chemistry, the spark. Never in ten years had she felt so loved. Nor so loving.
They stayed like that, hardly breathing, for a long time. To Kaoru, it seemed like that was what the world was about. If she died right then and there, she would die knowing that she died in the arms of the one she loved. Finally, she looked up at Kenshin.
He gazed into her eyes. She noticed that his usually bright eyes were glazed over. He whispered into her ear, "I love you, Kaoru."
Kaoru's heart melted at those words. Her breathing was husky as she replied, "I love you too, Kenshin."
She guided Kenshin's hand toward her collar and guided his hand to the material, pulling her clothes down to her shoulders. This was the relationship that she had wanted. This feeling. This righteousness.
She felt Kenshin's hand shake softly. She gently set it down and slowly pulled her shirt down all the way to her waist. Her upper body, bare, shone softly in the moonlight.
Kenshin's hand traced a finger along her shoulders. Then, suddenly, he blinked hard. The glazed look disappeared, and his eyes widened. "Oro?!?!?!?!" he muttered softly, glancing around with a confused look.
His eyes settled on her bare body, and his mouth opened wide into a perfect o. "Miss Kaoru, I'm so sorry! I cant, I shouldn't! I'm sorry! I'm-"
Kaoru laid a hand upon his shoulder and smiled. "It's OK, Kenshin. I wanted this." She put her arm around Kenshin's neck, and felt him stiffen. "What's wrong, Kenshin?"
Kenshin gently laid her hand on her own lap and guided the shirt from her waist back to its normal place. "It is not meant to be, Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru felt the air about her freeze. Her eyes teared over. "Kenshin. . ."
She put her eyes to the floor, trying to stop the hot tears from sliding out. A soft hand guided her chin up. Kenshin's purple eyes looked intently into hers.
"I am sorry, Miss Kaoru. But it is not meant to be."
Kaoru felt hot, salty tears flow down her face. "But you love me. And I love you. Why?"
Kenshin smiled, but his eyes were as somber as ever. "Oh, Kaoru, it is just not meant to be. We cannot be together."
"Why?"
Kenshin sighed. "In this now era, many have lost all sense of being honorable and morally correct. They are corrupted. In the family, men cheat on their wives and the wives often do the same."
"But, still."
"You and Sano shared something we did not. You are connected. It would be morally incorrect to part you. After all, Kenji-chan has Sano's blood. It would be wrong to part them two."
"But us?"
Kenshin finally looked down at his feet. "Yes, I admit, I was very unhappy to let you go. And still am. But if I had chosen to live happily, my decision would have haunted me forever. And you too, even though you think not. If it is not the right thing, it will never be the right thing, no matter how much happiness it brings us. Sano will always have lost a part of himself. So you see, I had to go this way."
"But are you happy?" Kaoru's voice was soft, barely heard over the wind that had started outside.
Kenshin smiled, and this time his eyes smiled along. "Yes, that I am! I admit," he said guiltily, "That at first I did not really enjoy the fact that Megumi would be my wife. But later, I learned to love her and to love my life the way it has gone."
"I didn't love you any less," Kenshin added hastily when he saw Kaoru's eyes fill up again. "I just learned to make room for even more people in my heart. And that is why I am happy."
They sat in silence for a while. Then, slowly, Kenshin stood up and opened the door. He softly stepped out. Right before he closed the door, he said softly, "Learn to be happy, Kaoru. If there is one thing I want for you, it is your happiness."
Kaoru settle herself into her bed, and eventually fell into a fitful sleep.
The next morning, Kaoru hugged goodbye to Kenshin and Megumi. "Oh, Megumi, you must visit us more!"
Megumi grinned. "Oh, we will. In fact, when we get our business cleared up back home, we're going to move here, right next door!"
Sano smiled, and chewed on a toothpick. "That'll be great. My white laundry is getting a bit stained, and Kenshin is always a genius at laundry and those womanly stuff
"Oro?"
"Ah, he's teasing, Kenshin!" Kaoru laughed. Somehow, it seemed more natural now.
She hugged Megumi one last time, and Megumi walked out, her children by her side. Kaoru walked over and hugged Kenshin. "I'll miss you, Kenshin. My- best friend."
Kenshin smiled. "There's the Kaoru I always knew. Be happy, Kaoru. That is what I want for the people I love."
Kaoru and Sano waved goodbye to the disappearing shadows of their friends. "That was a nice visit," Sano said.
"It sure was."
"Well, Kenshin said they'd be back at a month, tops."
"Great."
Sano sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be supervising Kenji." He started to walk off.
Kaoru lingered. Be happy, she told herself, be happy. "Sano!"
Surpirsed, Sano looked back. "It wasn't me, I swear!"
Kaoru laughed a real laugh. "I'll find our what you did sometime. But now, let's go supervise Kenji. Together."
Sanosuke blinked hard. Is this the same Kaoru that moped over Kenshin yesterday night? He felt her forehead for a fever.
A hairpin snapped on his forehead. "I'm fine, Sano! I just thought that we could spend more time together. You know, become closer."
"Wow, I never thought I could hear these words out of the mouth of former Mrs. Kenshin."
Kaoru decided to not punish him for that. She wrapped her arm around his and together, they walked in.
[yay! Happy ending! Ok, it's not an ending. There's one more chapter, k? But they're happy! * sigh * dontcha just love happy endings?]
*
-chapter 6-
Slowly, Kaoru tilted her head upwards. She knew this moment must be treasured. She shut her eyes in bliss. Lightly, her lips touched his. Kaoru pressed closer to Kenshin. Oh, this was the love she had always wanted. The chemistry, the spark. Never in ten years had she felt so loved. Nor so loving.
They stayed like that, hardly breathing, for a long time. To Kaoru, it seemed like that was what the world was about. If she died right then and there, she would die knowing that she died in the arms of the one she loved. Finally, she looked up at Kenshin.
He gazed into her eyes. She noticed that his usually bright eyes were glazed over. He whispered into her ear, "I love you, Kaoru."
Kaoru's heart melted at those words. Her breathing was husky as she replied, "I love you too, Kenshin."
She guided Kenshin's hand toward her collar and guided his hand to the material, pulling her clothes down to her shoulders. This was the relationship that she had wanted. This feeling. This righteousness.
She felt Kenshin's hand shake softly. She gently set it down and slowly pulled her shirt down all the way to her waist. Her upper body, bare, shone softly in the moonlight.
Kenshin's hand traced a finger along her shoulders. Then, suddenly, he blinked hard. The glazed look disappeared, and his eyes widened. "Oro?!?!?!?!" he muttered softly, glancing around with a confused look.
His eyes settled on her bare body, and his mouth opened wide into a perfect o. "Miss Kaoru, I'm so sorry! I cant, I shouldn't! I'm sorry! I'm-"
Kaoru laid a hand upon his shoulder and smiled. "It's OK, Kenshin. I wanted this." She put her arm around Kenshin's neck, and felt him stiffen. "What's wrong, Kenshin?"
Kenshin gently laid her hand on her own lap and guided the shirt from her waist back to its normal place. "It is not meant to be, Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru felt the air about her freeze. Her eyes teared over. "Kenshin. . ."
She put her eyes to the floor, trying to stop the hot tears from sliding out. A soft hand guided her chin up. Kenshin's purple eyes looked intently into hers.
"I am sorry, Miss Kaoru. But it is not meant to be."
Kaoru felt hot, salty tears flow down her face. "But you love me. And I love you. Why?"
Kenshin smiled, but his eyes were as somber as ever. "Oh, Kaoru, it is just not meant to be. We cannot be together."
"Why?"
Kenshin sighed. "In this now era, many have lost all sense of being honorable and morally correct. They are corrupted. In the family, men cheat on their wives and the wives often do the same."
"But, still."
"You and Sano shared something we did not. You are connected. It would be morally incorrect to part you. After all, Kenji-chan has Sano's blood. It would be wrong to part them two."
"But us?"
Kenshin finally looked down at his feet. "Yes, I admit, I was very unhappy to let you go. And still am. But if I had chosen to live happily, my decision would have haunted me forever. And you too, even though you think not. If it is not the right thing, it will never be the right thing, no matter how much happiness it brings us. Sano will always have lost a part of himself. So you see, I had to go this way."
"But are you happy?" Kaoru's voice was soft, barely heard over the wind that had started outside.
Kenshin smiled, and this time his eyes smiled along. "Yes, that I am! I admit," he said guiltily, "That at first I did not really enjoy the fact that Megumi would be my wife. But later, I learned to love her and to love my life the way it has gone."
"I didn't love you any less," Kenshin added hastily when he saw Kaoru's eyes fill up again. "I just learned to make room for even more people in my heart. And that is why I am happy."
They sat in silence for a while. Then, slowly, Kenshin stood up and opened the door. He softly stepped out. Right before he closed the door, he said softly, "Learn to be happy, Kaoru. If there is one thing I want for you, it is your happiness."
Kaoru settle herself into her bed, and eventually fell into a fitful sleep.
The next morning, Kaoru hugged goodbye to Kenshin and Megumi. "Oh, Megumi, you must visit us more!"
Megumi grinned. "Oh, we will. In fact, when we get our business cleared up back home, we're going to move here, right next door!"
Sano smiled, and chewed on a toothpick. "That'll be great. My white laundry is getting a bit stained, and Kenshin is always a genius at laundry and those womanly stuff
"Oro?"
"Ah, he's teasing, Kenshin!" Kaoru laughed. Somehow, it seemed more natural now.
She hugged Megumi one last time, and Megumi walked out, her children by her side. Kaoru walked over and hugged Kenshin. "I'll miss you, Kenshin. My- best friend."
Kenshin smiled. "There's the Kaoru I always knew. Be happy, Kaoru. That is what I want for the people I love."
Kaoru and Sano waved goodbye to the disappearing shadows of their friends. "That was a nice visit," Sano said.
"It sure was."
"Well, Kenshin said they'd be back at a month, tops."
"Great."
Sano sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be supervising Kenji." He started to walk off.
Kaoru lingered. Be happy, she told herself, be happy. "Sano!"
Surpirsed, Sano looked back. "It wasn't me, I swear!"
Kaoru laughed a real laugh. "I'll find our what you did sometime. But now, let's go supervise Kenji. Together."
Sanosuke blinked hard. Is this the same Kaoru that moped over Kenshin yesterday night? He felt her forehead for a fever.
A hairpin snapped on his forehead. "I'm fine, Sano! I just thought that we could spend more time together. You know, become closer."
"Wow, I never thought I could hear these words out of the mouth of former Mrs. Kenshin."
Kaoru decided to not punish him for that. She wrapped her arm around his and together, they walked in.
[yay! Happy ending! Ok, it's not an ending. There's one more chapter, k? But they're happy! * sigh * dontcha just love happy endings?]