Author's notes: This story was created by me, Bao and Firuze a while ago. It was supposed to be written by the three of us, but we all got involved in different projects and this idea was put aside. I decided to write this because I felt like I needed to work on something different. (Hana-chan)

This is for Jo-chan, as an attempt of bringing a smile to her face. We are all here for you.

Disclaimer: I don't own and I never will. Life just isn't fair.

~~Kaoru's fairy tale~~

Story by: Bao Blossom,
Firuze Khamune and
Hana Himura
Written by: Hana Himura
Edited by: KayJuli

Kaoru looked at the sky and sighed. It had rained the past two days and it didn't look like it was going to stop raining soon. It was boring. All those drops, falling from the sky... So boring. She didn't have anything to do.

She would practice with Yahiko, if the boy hadn't come down with a flu. Even Kenshin couldn't perform his chores with that rain. Kaoru blushed. She liked watching him when he was busy with something else. It was the one time of the day she was truly happy. When she could watch her sweet rurouni wetting his hands in the wash tub. It made her wonder what kind of husband he would be some day. That thought made her blush even harder. It was her main fantasy... being Kenshin's wife. But that was all that it was: a fantasy.

She could imagine herself in the future, still waiting for Kenshin to make his move. Boy, he was slow. Maybe he thought she was too young and too innocent. Nah! Who was she kidding? He was just slow. Period. Just a dimwit that wouldn't grab happiness if it hit him on the face (she had already tried that).

Kaoru was awaken from her daydream by the sound of something breaking. She knew the sound had come from her bedroom, but who would be there and why? Arriving at her room, she forgot the previous questions for Kenshin was there, kneeling down what had been her mother's precious vase.

"Na...ni?" She stared bluntly at the broken pieces of the vase.

"Kaoru-dono..." Kenshin muttered. "Sessha-"

She knew it would come an explanation, but she was too shocked to hear it.

"My mother's vase." Kaoru stated. "Broken."

"Gomen nasai." Kenshin said, looking at the floor. "I didn't mean to. Sessha just..."

"Broken." Kaoru repeated. "It was the most precious thing I had from her and now it's gone."

"Gomen nasai." Kenshin said again, avoiding eye contact.

Kaoru kneeled down and started collecting the broken pieces. Kenshin meant to help her, but she said a loud and clear:

"NO!" Kaoru felt ashamed that she had actually yelled that. For some twisted reason, she felt sorry for the vase, but she couldn't blame Kenshin for breaking it. "Gomen... It's mine, I'll clean it."

"I broke it... At least let me help."

"Just leave me alone." Kaoru said without raising her voice.

Kenshin looked at her astonished and then left her room, without saying a second word.

Kaoru gathered all the pieces, without knowing what to do with it. It had been something precious, but now it was broken. It was then that she saw the flowers lying on her floor. Had Kenshin brought flowers to her room? Where did he get flowers in such a weather?

Kaoru took the flowers and smelled it. They weren't fresh, but they were still beautiful. Why would Kenshin bring her flowers? What could that mean?

***

"Kenshin no baka..." Kenshin sighed aloud. How could he be so clumsy and break something precious to Kaoru? The hurt look on her face was worse than her angry outbursts.

He had been to town earlier to pick up some medicine to Yahiko. On the way back, the rain started pouring harder and he sought shelter on the first shop he could spot. A flower shop. The owner complained that it was impossible to get fresh flowers with all that rain and that the flowers she had on the store would soon be ruined.

Kenshin pitied the woman and decided to buy some flowers. He would take them to Kaoru-dono to help her cheer up. He knew the weather was making her feel down. When he meant to pay for the flowers the shop owner refused to take his money.

"I can't charge you for those. They aren't fresh." The woman said.

When Kenshin insisted on paying, the woman added:

"Just take them to that pretty wife of yours. When the rain stops, you can drop by again and buy her fresh flowers."

"My... wife?" Kenshin uttered.

"I've seen you in the market together. You make a cute young couple."

Kenshin took the flowers and didn't understand why he hadn't told the woman that Kaoru wasn't his wife.

When he got home, he went straight to her room to place there the flowers. It would be a nice surprise for her. But when he went in, he saw something that he hadn't noticed before. It was an old porcelain vase over Kaoru's dresser. Kenshin put the flowers on the floor, while he inspected it.

It had an interesting pattern: a couple, standing next to a sakura tree. Sakura petals fell around them. He imagined himself and Kaoru under that three. It felt good to be next to her. Her presence soothed his heart and made him feel happy for absolutely no reason at all. Well, that wasn't quite true. She was the reason.

Kenshin turned the vase around and it slipped out of his fingers, as if it didn't want to be inspected and fell before he could do anything about it. He knelt down beside the broken pieces and that was when Kaoru went inside the room.

Kenshin no baka indeed. She didn't have to call him that. He knew he was an idiot. A clumsy idiot. Kaoru had every right to be angry with him to shout and make him do twice as much chores than he usually did. But she didn't get angry. Instead, she was sad. He had made her sad.

The rain had just stopped falling. But the mess was already done. Kaoru had dressed herself and went out, without saying a word to him. Kenshin thought he deserved the silence treatment.

***

Kaoru threw away the pieces of her mother's vase. It had been a gift from her father on their wedding day. She couldn't understand why she couldn't be angry with Kenshin. The vase had been precious to Kaoru. A memoir of her mother. She knew she was sad about losing it, but not as sad as she should be.

At that moment, all Kaoru could think was being alone and think about it. The rain had stopped, so she decided to go to town alone. It would be a nice walk - as nice as a walk could be when the streets were all muddy. But Kaoru didn't care about that. She didn't care about getting her slippers dirty and get mud on her kimono.

She was nearing the Akabeko when she saw an old man slip and fall on the mud. Kaoru hurried to help him up.

"Are you okay, sir?" Kaoru asked.

Even though the man was dirty, she could see that he was very poorly dressed.

"Thank you, young lady." The man said, with a big smile. "You are most kind."

The man leaned down to pick a bag from the muddy street.

"I'm out of luck." The man sighed. "First this dreadful weather during my journey... Now I can't not even find my niece. She was suppose to live nearby, but everything is so different since the last time I came to Tokyo."

"Oh... So you just arrived in town."

"Yes. I'm a wandering salesman. Though I can hardly call myself a salesman anymore. I'm just lucky when I can sell something to pay for my meals." When he said that, his stomach made a grouching noise. The old man seemed embarrassed by it.

Kaoru smiled. She liked the old man. He seemed nice.

"I'll treat you lunch, sir." Kaoru said, with a smile.

"You really are a pearl, young lady. But I can't accept that. What would your husband think if you spent your money with an unworthy old man such as myself?"

"I'm not married." Kaoru blurted out.

"So, he haven't realized how special you are yet..." The man said, thoughtfully.

"How...? How do you know there is someone?"

"You have that gleam on your face, such as the young people who are in love. Though there is a cloud on your eyes... He didn't do something stupid, did he?"

"He... broke something dear to me."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, young lady."

"Please allow me to buy you lunch, sir. Think of it as a welcome gift from Tokyo." Kaoru almost begged.

The man scratched his head.

"I don't usually take charity, young lady. If you insist on buying me lunch, I'll give you something in return."

"Sounds fair enough by me." Kaoru smiled, guiding the man to the Akabeko.

They sat on a booth and Kaoru ordered them food. All through lunch, the man babbled about his niece, who he said owned a shop and was a great salesperson. She could sell virtually anything to anybody. But as a pastime, she liked playing matchmaker. He said she could even match a cat and a dog. That was, if they were willing to fall in love. When lunch was over, the man looked at Kaoru and said:

"I have something that will help you with that lad you love." The man opened his bag and searched on his belongings. "Here it is."

He placed a book over the table. It had a brown hard cover. It looked old and torn.

"This book is very special." The man explained. "I'm giving it to you because I fell down many times today and you were the only one who helped me up. It proves that you are a good and kind person. That's why you may have this book. It will make you see things more clearly. Perhaps it will teach you some useful things."

Kaoru took the book. It felt warm. For some reason, that book was able to make her feel good.

"Arigatou." Kaoru thanked him.

After paying the bill, they left Akabeko.

"Thank you for the wonderful lunch, young lady. Now I must bid you farewell."

"Wait! I'll help you find your niece." Kaoru volunteered.

"Domo arigatou, but I think I already know where I am. I can find my way."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. My niece's flower shop is just around that corner. It was a pleasure to meet you, Kamiya-san. I hope the book can help you." The man took a few steps away from her and then stopped and turned around again. "Oh... I advice you to read it at night, when you are alone. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Kaoru said, watching the old man turning the corner before she started walking home.

"I should have asked his name." Kaoru said to herself after some minutes. Only then she realized that she hadn't told him her name and that he had called her 'Kamiya-san'. A chill ran through her spine.

A lightning lit the skies and it started raining again. Kaoru didn't think about that anymore, as she ran home.

***

Kaoru gave Yahiko his medicine. His fever had broke down thanks to Kenshin's care, but the boy was still quiet and tired. Kaoru felt indulged by the sick child. She just felt like hugging him and kissing his forehead. That was, if he didn't open his mouth.

"It's sour!"

"It's medicine. You have to take it to get well."

"You are probably trying to poison me... Busu!"

"Your ungrateful child! I'm only trying to take care of you!"

How did Kenshin managed that kid, it was a complete mystery to her. Yahiko always did what Kenshin asked. He really looked up to Kenshin. Why couldn't the boy at least respect her that was his teacher?

"I don't want you to take care of me! I don't need anyone to take care of me..." Yahiko blurted.

"Who will give you medicine, then?"

"Kenshin."

"Well, Kenshin isn't home!" Kaoru shouted back at him.

Kenshin had went out during the afternoon, even though it was raining. He didn't say where he was going and when he would come back. Maybe he meant to say it, but Kaoru still wasn't talking to him.

After finally convincing Yahiko to take his medicine, Kaoru went to the kitchen to make tea for herself. She could feel her muscles tense, probably from all the arguing with the boy. A tea would help her calm a bit.

"Kenshin... Why did you have to go out and leave me with such a bratty child?" Kaoru muttered to herself. "How can you manage him?"

"You know..." A voice startled her. "If you treat him like a child, he'll act like a child. You have to treat him as an equal and he'll respect you."

"Kenshin!" Kaoru almost yelled, placing a hand over her chest.

"When he teases you, and you try to tease him back, he'll treat you as an equal. He lowers you to his level."

"Are you saying I act like a child?"

"No."

"You are implying it."

"Kaoru-dono..."

"Kaoru-dono what? What would you say? Don't be so childish? I'm not a child! When will you stop seeing me like one?" Kaoru shouted and left the room.

Kenshin took a deep breath. She was hardheaded. But that was one of the things that made her special. 'I don't see you as a child, Kaoru... I never have.'

Kaoru got in her room and slid the shouji door closed with a loud snap. How did he dare calling her a child? He of all people... He who had broken her mother's vase. That was it... He'd be punished. He would get the cold shoulder. He would have to... to... clean the entire house until she could see her reflection on the floor.

Kaoru was thinking of the punishments she could inflict Kenshin, when she saw the book the old man had given her. It was lying over her unrolled futon. The man had said that book would help her with Kenshin. She wondered what kind of book could that be... 'Read it at night, when you are alone... What did he mean by that?' Kaoru thought. 'Maybe it's a hentai book, that's why I must be alone...' Her cheeks turned pink. 'I won't open it.'

Kaoru looked the other way and decided to do something else. She changed into her yukata, eyeing suspiciously the book once in a while. She stared at the book, as if it would flee at any second. Finally, she decided to open it. 'It won't hurt to take a look.'

Kaoru picked it up and flipped to the first page.

"'Once upon a time in the kingdom of Tokyo, lived a beautiful and kind princess.' " Kaoru read. "Oh! It's just a fairy tale."

She lied on her futon, trying to find the most comfortable position, before resuming her reading.

"'The princess lived alone in a dojo, for her parents had already passed away. One day she challenged a brave knight on the streets, mistaking him for a murderer. After the real murderer had been found, she invited the knight to live with her.' It sounds like my story with Kenshin." Kaoru giggled and continued. " 'One day the princess got upset because the knight had broken her mother's vase and went out to clear her feelings. She found an old man on the streets and helped him. In order to thank her, the old man gave her this book...'" Kaoru started at the book in shock. It was her story. She continued reading. " 'When she was alone, she started reading the book and found out it was telling her story.'"

"It's impossible..." Kaoru muttered, unable to stop reading.

'She thought it was impossible, but there the book was. What the princess didn't know was that it was a magical book.'

"Magical book?" Kaoru almost shouted.

'Yes, a magical book that would take her on a journey to make her dreams reality.'

"You are kidding me?"

'No. Magical books don't kid around.'

"So, what will happen next?"

'The princess started feeling sleepy and her body was weightless. She tried hard, but she couldn't keep her eyes open. And so she drifted to sleep.'

Kaoru's eyelids were heavy with drowsiness. Her eyes fell closed. She felt like she was floating in the air... so tired that she couldn't stay awake anymore. And so she slipped away to the land of dreams, where her own fairy tale was about to start.

TBC
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Hello, minna-san. If you read up until here, please press the review button and leave me a review. Reviews are the fuel of fanfic writers. You don't want to make us run out of gas, do you? Please no flames!
By the way! English is not my first language, so I'm expected to make lots of mistakes. =^x^=