Author's Notes: Yup, back to write the chapter that I think is going to be
the last one. Of course, I said that about the last chapter, so I could be
lying, but I won't know until I actually write this chapter. I haven't
posted chapter 10 OR 11 yet, so I have no idea what has possessed me to
write so much so quickly before posting any chapters at all! Anywho, on
with the writing.
Title: The Scholar and the Princess
Author: KaBunny
E-mail: Alexandra_Miyoko@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13 (well, not anymore....but I prefer to keep the rating the same for all chapters....jic)
Btw.....I do not own Ruruoni Kenshin....thought you ought to know (that's just for you Nikki =) )
Chapter Twelve: The Stars' Answer
"Kaoru? Are you in there?" Sano questioned, pressing his ear to the door. He heard slight rustling from inside, but he still heard no footsteps. Sure, it was very early in the morning and Kaoru sometimes had a habit of sleeping in, but today was NOT the day to be sleeping in. "Kaoru!"
He heard the rustling noise again and then something slammed lightly against the door that caused him to jump away from the door. 'Now she's throwing things at me! This is absurd!' he thought, slightly angered. He was not going to sit idly by as he watched Kaoru destroy herself because Kenshin was too thickheaded to realize that he was in love.
"That's it Little Missy! I'm coming in and if you're not decent, then... then grab a towel or something!" he replied, tired of waiting.
He grabbed the handle just as it was turning and he took a step back as the object finally swung open. He saw the Little Missy who had wrapped herself up in her comforter to come and answer the door. Her eyes looked dull and there were small dark circles under them. Her hair seemed flat and lifeless as if someone had stolen the light from it.
"Kaoru...," he muttered, taking a step toward her. He suddenly felt bad for awakening her, but he knew he was doing the right thing and that Kaoru was not. Sanosuke set his hands on her shoulders and she looked up at him with those lifeless eyes. "I know you're sad Kaoru, but your not making the right choice."
"I can't be selfish," she murmured, staring up at him, unblinking. "I have to grow up. I have to do as my father says and marry for peace."
"No, Kaoru," Sano answered, shaking his head. "This is not you. Stop trying to be something you're not. And what is all this talk of selfishness?"
"I'll be selfish if I make him stay because he feels bad for me," she said, shaking her head as she looked down to the floor.
"Look at me," he said, slightly angered by the girl's blindness. She didn't look up, however. "Kaoru, look up at me."
She turned her unblinking, lifeless eyes up to Sano and saw the passion in his own that hers were lacking. He didn't have to say anything because she already knew, but he said it anyway. "I don't know how you could be so blind," he responded, shaking his head at the girl. "You're... the one who told me that I would marry Megumi someday. You're... the one who told Yahiko so many times that if he didn't stop calling girls ugly that they would never see his soft side. You're... the one who made Battousai the manslayer have a feeling that he never thought he could have. Just because he doesn't understand it doesn't mean that he doesn't feel it. He can't express something he doesn't understand. You have to show him what it is you're feeling for him to understand."
"But... I can't," she answered, her eyes watering up again. "It's selfish! He'll only be staying because he feels sorry for me!"
"Haven't you heard a word I've said?" Sano questioned, becoming slightly angered with the girl. Her response was a diverting of her eyes. "He won't stay because he feels sorry for you. He won't feel sorry for you. He'll return your feelings, but you have to tell him yours first!"
"It's too hard," she murmured, her eyes still downcast. "I don't know if I have the strength."
"Well, then, you'll never know what would've happened," Sano replied, walking away from the girl that had angered him immensely. All the time that she had provided support for him, all the times that she had gone out on a limb for him, and all the times that she had told him to show Megumi his feelings. Suddenly he knew the choice she had to make and how hard it was. He now felt bad for all he said.
~~~~~~
"Are you ready, Miss Misao?" Kenshin questioned, glancing at his sister. She finished braiding her long dark hair and turned to regard her brother with soft sea green eyes. They were unsure just as her movements were slow, as if she were waiting for something.
"I don't know, Kenshin," she muttered, shaking her head and looking down to the floor. "Something doesn't feel right."
"I know," he murmured, slipping the pouch of money into his gi's sleeve.
"Then why can't we stay until we figure this out?" Misao asked, her eyes curious as she looked up at her older brother.
"Because this isn't our place and you know that Misao," Kenshin answered, turning to look at her finally. Something was drifting below the sterness in his eyes and Misao was quite sure it was confusion. His eyes were what convinced her to stop her pushing.
"Alright, but I still feel as though we're giving up on something," she replied, shaking the image of Aoshi away in her mind. "I'm ready to go if you are."
Kenshin nodded to his younger sister before turning and stepping out the door. Misao slipped on her favorite cloak which was white and blue and covered her body well. It made her look like a much older woman and she enjoyed that about it. She followed her brother out the door as she tried to push the image of Aoshi away again in her mind.
~~~~~~
"Well Kenshin, it was nice seeing you again. Just do me a favor and please don't get injured like that again," Megumi said, tears sitting in her eyes as she hugged her old friend. "You worry me, you know."
"I know and please be sure to take good care of Aoshi. If he should ever remember, he will most likely come after me," Kenshin responded, smiling at the woman as he released her. He made sure that the part about Aoshi was just heard by hers and his ears.
Misao made her way over to Sano, one question on her mind as she hugged him. "Oh, I'll miss you Sano," she said loud enough for Megumi and Kenshin to hear, but then lowered her voice to a whisper that only Sano and herself could hear. "Could you convince her?"
"I tried, Misao, boy did I try. But, I have a plan....play along, alright?" Sano whispered back, sighing quietly. He added in the rest much louder. "Yeah, Misao. It's a shame that you and I never got to spar. I would've kicked your butt."
"You wanna put your money where your mouth is bub?!" Misao growled, pulling away from the hug and feigning anger. "'Cause I can prove you wrong!"
"Oh, yeah! Right here and now!" Sano replied, holding his fists up to the girl.
Misao pretended to push up her fake sleeves in mock anger as she stepped up to Sano. She placed her forehead on his as she glared at him in mock anger. "Prepare to eat fist, Rooster Head."
"Bring it on, little girl," Sano muttered back, giving her a wink that neither Kenshin or Megumi could see.
"Misao, please....," Kenshin said, placing his hands up in defense. He took a step toward the two as they backed away from one another.
"He's asking for it, Kenshin!" Misao grumbled, pointing at Sano like a little kid who's telling on another little kid.
"So is she!" Sano growled, pointing at Misao in the same manner.
"Besides, he started it," she whined, giving Kenshin the puppy dog face that women seem to acquire from birth.
"Actually she started it," Sano muttered, giving Kenshin the face of reason.
"Did not!" they both said in unison as they glared at one another and stuck their tongues out to give the other a raspberry.
Kenshin sweatdropped and placed a hand behind his head. "Come on, Misao," he replied, smiling nervously. "It doesn't matter who started it, we still have to leave."
His face suddenly became serious and Misao suddenly drooped with the weight of the fact. She glanced at Sano as he shrugged and mouthed, 'I tried.' She sighed and looked up at her serious brother before glancing at Yahiko, Sanosuke, Megumi, and Aoshi and giving each of them a weak smile. "Well, then, I guess this is goodbye, huh?" she said, the sad smile still on her face. "Good-bye. It was nice meeting you all."
"Good-bye, Misao," Megumi answered, smiling back at the girl, the tears still sitting in her eyes.
"See ya, Misao.....Kenshin," Yahiko responded, giving both of them a curt nod as he said their names.
"Bye now! If you ever come back be sure to mention my name and the guards are sure to let you in," Sano said, winking at the two of them and giving them a small wave of his hand.
"Bye Kenshin.....bye Misao," Aoshi murmured, staring at the small girl wrapped in the cloak. He seemed enthralled by her as she gave him a sad smile.
"Good-bye everyone," Kenshin muttered as he turned around and started on his way down the road. Misao gave a curt nod to everyone, her eyes lingering on Aoshi a few seconds longer than anyone else, before turning and running off down the road after her brother.
Kenshin glanced up at the few lingering stars of the morning, a small smile on his face. 'Good-bye, Kaoru,' he thought, mentally sighing. He then opened his eyes and looked at the road ahead of himself, the long road to home, Alexandria.
~~~~~~
Kaoru stood out on the balcony, watching the sunrise of the morning and catching a few glimpses of the remaining stars. She sighed, sorrowfully. She knew what she had done and that it could not be undone, but somewhere there was hope. And she saw it as it streaked across the sky, a shooting star.
'Kenshin......where ever you are going, just please come back to me one day and I pray that I will have the strength to tell you how I feel then,' Kaoru thought as she caught the glimpse of the shooting star. 'And I will pray that you will feel the same way.'
She glanced out once more to road to Alexandria and a small smile creased her lips. There was hope after all. Maybe someday, it would come to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You'll be unhappy to know that that is the end! Um, please don't kill me, eh heh heh. I am going to make a sequel I PROMISE!!!!! I already have a name for it and I already have a plot line and everything! I could just add it onto this story, but that would just be weird....Anywho, come read my sequel when I start to write that. It's going to be called "The Swordsman and the Ninja".....can you guess who it's about? hehe!
Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I liked writing it! I hope I get another idea for a RuroKen story so you can read it too! Well, ja mata ne! And Arigatou a thousand folds!
Bai bai! ~KaBunny
PLEASE READ ME!!!!!!!! As a last note.....I HAVE placed the first chapter of the new story onto ff.net! So PLEASE don't kill me!
Title: The Scholar and the Princess
Author: KaBunny
E-mail: Alexandra_Miyoko@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13 (well, not anymore....but I prefer to keep the rating the same for all chapters....jic)
Btw.....I do not own Ruruoni Kenshin....thought you ought to know (that's just for you Nikki =) )
Chapter Twelve: The Stars' Answer
"Kaoru? Are you in there?" Sano questioned, pressing his ear to the door. He heard slight rustling from inside, but he still heard no footsteps. Sure, it was very early in the morning and Kaoru sometimes had a habit of sleeping in, but today was NOT the day to be sleeping in. "Kaoru!"
He heard the rustling noise again and then something slammed lightly against the door that caused him to jump away from the door. 'Now she's throwing things at me! This is absurd!' he thought, slightly angered. He was not going to sit idly by as he watched Kaoru destroy herself because Kenshin was too thickheaded to realize that he was in love.
"That's it Little Missy! I'm coming in and if you're not decent, then... then grab a towel or something!" he replied, tired of waiting.
He grabbed the handle just as it was turning and he took a step back as the object finally swung open. He saw the Little Missy who had wrapped herself up in her comforter to come and answer the door. Her eyes looked dull and there were small dark circles under them. Her hair seemed flat and lifeless as if someone had stolen the light from it.
"Kaoru...," he muttered, taking a step toward her. He suddenly felt bad for awakening her, but he knew he was doing the right thing and that Kaoru was not. Sanosuke set his hands on her shoulders and she looked up at him with those lifeless eyes. "I know you're sad Kaoru, but your not making the right choice."
"I can't be selfish," she murmured, staring up at him, unblinking. "I have to grow up. I have to do as my father says and marry for peace."
"No, Kaoru," Sano answered, shaking his head. "This is not you. Stop trying to be something you're not. And what is all this talk of selfishness?"
"I'll be selfish if I make him stay because he feels bad for me," she said, shaking her head as she looked down to the floor.
"Look at me," he said, slightly angered by the girl's blindness. She didn't look up, however. "Kaoru, look up at me."
She turned her unblinking, lifeless eyes up to Sano and saw the passion in his own that hers were lacking. He didn't have to say anything because she already knew, but he said it anyway. "I don't know how you could be so blind," he responded, shaking his head at the girl. "You're... the one who told me that I would marry Megumi someday. You're... the one who told Yahiko so many times that if he didn't stop calling girls ugly that they would never see his soft side. You're... the one who made Battousai the manslayer have a feeling that he never thought he could have. Just because he doesn't understand it doesn't mean that he doesn't feel it. He can't express something he doesn't understand. You have to show him what it is you're feeling for him to understand."
"But... I can't," she answered, her eyes watering up again. "It's selfish! He'll only be staying because he feels sorry for me!"
"Haven't you heard a word I've said?" Sano questioned, becoming slightly angered with the girl. Her response was a diverting of her eyes. "He won't stay because he feels sorry for you. He won't feel sorry for you. He'll return your feelings, but you have to tell him yours first!"
"It's too hard," she murmured, her eyes still downcast. "I don't know if I have the strength."
"Well, then, you'll never know what would've happened," Sano replied, walking away from the girl that had angered him immensely. All the time that she had provided support for him, all the times that she had gone out on a limb for him, and all the times that she had told him to show Megumi his feelings. Suddenly he knew the choice she had to make and how hard it was. He now felt bad for all he said.
~~~~~~
"Are you ready, Miss Misao?" Kenshin questioned, glancing at his sister. She finished braiding her long dark hair and turned to regard her brother with soft sea green eyes. They were unsure just as her movements were slow, as if she were waiting for something.
"I don't know, Kenshin," she muttered, shaking her head and looking down to the floor. "Something doesn't feel right."
"I know," he murmured, slipping the pouch of money into his gi's sleeve.
"Then why can't we stay until we figure this out?" Misao asked, her eyes curious as she looked up at her older brother.
"Because this isn't our place and you know that Misao," Kenshin answered, turning to look at her finally. Something was drifting below the sterness in his eyes and Misao was quite sure it was confusion. His eyes were what convinced her to stop her pushing.
"Alright, but I still feel as though we're giving up on something," she replied, shaking the image of Aoshi away in her mind. "I'm ready to go if you are."
Kenshin nodded to his younger sister before turning and stepping out the door. Misao slipped on her favorite cloak which was white and blue and covered her body well. It made her look like a much older woman and she enjoyed that about it. She followed her brother out the door as she tried to push the image of Aoshi away again in her mind.
~~~~~~
"Well Kenshin, it was nice seeing you again. Just do me a favor and please don't get injured like that again," Megumi said, tears sitting in her eyes as she hugged her old friend. "You worry me, you know."
"I know and please be sure to take good care of Aoshi. If he should ever remember, he will most likely come after me," Kenshin responded, smiling at the woman as he released her. He made sure that the part about Aoshi was just heard by hers and his ears.
Misao made her way over to Sano, one question on her mind as she hugged him. "Oh, I'll miss you Sano," she said loud enough for Megumi and Kenshin to hear, but then lowered her voice to a whisper that only Sano and herself could hear. "Could you convince her?"
"I tried, Misao, boy did I try. But, I have a plan....play along, alright?" Sano whispered back, sighing quietly. He added in the rest much louder. "Yeah, Misao. It's a shame that you and I never got to spar. I would've kicked your butt."
"You wanna put your money where your mouth is bub?!" Misao growled, pulling away from the hug and feigning anger. "'Cause I can prove you wrong!"
"Oh, yeah! Right here and now!" Sano replied, holding his fists up to the girl.
Misao pretended to push up her fake sleeves in mock anger as she stepped up to Sano. She placed her forehead on his as she glared at him in mock anger. "Prepare to eat fist, Rooster Head."
"Bring it on, little girl," Sano muttered back, giving her a wink that neither Kenshin or Megumi could see.
"Misao, please....," Kenshin said, placing his hands up in defense. He took a step toward the two as they backed away from one another.
"He's asking for it, Kenshin!" Misao grumbled, pointing at Sano like a little kid who's telling on another little kid.
"So is she!" Sano growled, pointing at Misao in the same manner.
"Besides, he started it," she whined, giving Kenshin the puppy dog face that women seem to acquire from birth.
"Actually she started it," Sano muttered, giving Kenshin the face of reason.
"Did not!" they both said in unison as they glared at one another and stuck their tongues out to give the other a raspberry.
Kenshin sweatdropped and placed a hand behind his head. "Come on, Misao," he replied, smiling nervously. "It doesn't matter who started it, we still have to leave."
His face suddenly became serious and Misao suddenly drooped with the weight of the fact. She glanced at Sano as he shrugged and mouthed, 'I tried.' She sighed and looked up at her serious brother before glancing at Yahiko, Sanosuke, Megumi, and Aoshi and giving each of them a weak smile. "Well, then, I guess this is goodbye, huh?" she said, the sad smile still on her face. "Good-bye. It was nice meeting you all."
"Good-bye, Misao," Megumi answered, smiling back at the girl, the tears still sitting in her eyes.
"See ya, Misao.....Kenshin," Yahiko responded, giving both of them a curt nod as he said their names.
"Bye now! If you ever come back be sure to mention my name and the guards are sure to let you in," Sano said, winking at the two of them and giving them a small wave of his hand.
"Bye Kenshin.....bye Misao," Aoshi murmured, staring at the small girl wrapped in the cloak. He seemed enthralled by her as she gave him a sad smile.
"Good-bye everyone," Kenshin muttered as he turned around and started on his way down the road. Misao gave a curt nod to everyone, her eyes lingering on Aoshi a few seconds longer than anyone else, before turning and running off down the road after her brother.
Kenshin glanced up at the few lingering stars of the morning, a small smile on his face. 'Good-bye, Kaoru,' he thought, mentally sighing. He then opened his eyes and looked at the road ahead of himself, the long road to home, Alexandria.
~~~~~~
Kaoru stood out on the balcony, watching the sunrise of the morning and catching a few glimpses of the remaining stars. She sighed, sorrowfully. She knew what she had done and that it could not be undone, but somewhere there was hope. And she saw it as it streaked across the sky, a shooting star.
'Kenshin......where ever you are going, just please come back to me one day and I pray that I will have the strength to tell you how I feel then,' Kaoru thought as she caught the glimpse of the shooting star. 'And I will pray that you will feel the same way.'
She glanced out once more to road to Alexandria and a small smile creased her lips. There was hope after all. Maybe someday, it would come to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You'll be unhappy to know that that is the end! Um, please don't kill me, eh heh heh. I am going to make a sequel I PROMISE!!!!! I already have a name for it and I already have a plot line and everything! I could just add it onto this story, but that would just be weird....Anywho, come read my sequel when I start to write that. It's going to be called "The Swordsman and the Ninja".....can you guess who it's about? hehe!
Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I liked writing it! I hope I get another idea for a RuroKen story so you can read it too! Well, ja mata ne! And Arigatou a thousand folds!
Bai bai! ~KaBunny
PLEASE READ ME!!!!!!!! As a last note.....I HAVE placed the first chapter of the new story onto ff.net! So PLEASE don't kill me!