Chapter 9: Kenshin's fury, Kaoru's joke
A/N: Well my story is coming to a close. There will probably be one or two chapters after this, but then...that's all. Sad isn't it? I hope you've enjoyed reading this fic as much as I've enjoyed writing it. *sigh* It just doesn't seem right for it to be over. Oh well, maybe I'll start another one! Yay!
Disclaimer: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, I wouldn't be writing fanfic's now would I? NO. I would be taking my "Fanfic"'s and turning them into EPISODES! YAAAA! That would be so cool. But unfortunately...never mind.
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Kenshin turns his back against the early morning sun, his arm draping over the precious bundle next to him. He smiles, watching Kaoru sleep. 'She looks so innocent, so peaceful. Does she really deserve the chaos I'll bring into her life?' Kenshin thinks. 'Too late, she's HAD that chaos since the first time she was kidnapped.' He tells himself.
Kenshin chuckles. She sure hadn't seemed quite so innocent last night. They'd definitely shown each other EXACTLY what they meant to each other. Kenshin's thoughts begin to wander...
'Kenshin no baka, you've got something to do.' He chastens himself. Slowly unwinding his limbs from Kaoru, then prying her fingers gently from his hair, he rises and dons his hatama. Treading silently he walks to his small trunk.
Opening it, buried among his extra clothing from his former hitokiri days, was a fragile band. Kenshin gently holds the fragile ring, examining it for flaws. The thin band is solid platinum, the stone so deep a blue-violet that it seemed it never ends. Kenshin smiles.
He knows exactly how he will wake Kaoru now. Silently padding over to the futon, Kenshin pauses to gaze at Kaoru's relaxed form before continuing. 'This is what I want.' He thought with satisfaction. 'She will always be mine, mine and no one else's. This is just a form of proof.'
And with that he lay back down on the futon, next to Kaoru. Slowly he maneuvers so that he has Kaoru's right hand in his. He kisses her partially awake and then slips the ring on her finger. "Kaoru..." he says, " will you marry me?"
In an instant Kaoru is awake. She decides to have a little fun. "No...I'm already engaged." She says.
"WHAT?!" Kenshin exclaims, sitting up.
Kaoru admires the beautiful ring on her finger. "I can't marry you because I'm engaged already." She repeats.
"TO WHOM IF I MAY ASK!!!?" Kenshin storms with amber eyes. "A great and fearsome swordsman of the Revolution." She replies, still admiring the ring.
Kenshin growls. "I'll rip him limb from limb.who's the unlucky bastard?"
"You should know silly, you're very, very close. He even has the same hair color as you." Kaoru says. 'If he doesn't get it after that then he MUST be whacked.' Kaoru thinks.
"Sano..." Kenshin frowns. 'That bastard, telling me to get a ring and oohhhh, he's gonna die.'
Kaoru sweatdrops, but Kenshin is much too absorbed in his thoughts to notice. "No baka, it isn't -!" Kenshin swiftly stands and then is gone in a flash of white hatama. "KENSHIN!" Kaoru calls, grabbing the blanket as it attempts to fly away. Grumbling about the idiocy of men, she quickly dresses and runs to Sano's aid.
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Kenshin flits through the town, eyes flashing menacingly. 'That bastard will PAY.' He thinks. No longer is the rational thought processes of the rurouni functioning. Something has threatened his hold on Kaoru, and he will do anything to get rid of the threat.
Within minutes he arrives at Sano's apartment. "Zanza!" the former hitokiri calls. "COME FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!" Sano opens his door to discover the shirtless Battousai. 'Oh shit.' He thinks. 'what have I done now?'
Calmly he steps outside the door. "Yes Kenshin?" he says, trying to appeal to the kind rurouni on the inside. Usually you can still see a small spark of Kenshin behind the dark eyes of the assassin, but this time is different.
It's almost as if the rurouni agrees with the assassin. There is only one subject that they agree on...Kaoru. "Kuso! Has something happened to the little missy?!" Sano exclaims. "She's engaged." Battousai growls.
Sano relaxes. So that's what this is about. "Congratula-!"
"To you..." he finishes.
"WHAT?!" Sano exclaims. Ok, so maybe at one time he'd had a LITTLE crush on Kaoru. That doesn't matter anymore! He thinks of her like a sister, not a potential wife! What Kenshin is suggesting is impossible.
"Kenshin, that's not tru--!"
"Come." The Battousai snarls.
"Kenshin! Can't we discuss this rationally like--!"
"Do not force me to come to you. Come." Battousai interrupts.
"KENSHIN!" Sano shouts. "THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"
Battousai attacks. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he cries, running at his terrified adversary.
"KENSHIN NOOOO!"
'This is it, this is the end.' Sano thinks as he waits for the final blow that surely follows the gust of wind that just buffeted him backwards. After several minutes, he opens his eyes to see Kenshin kneeling in front of him, winded and looking very battered.
Kaoru is standing close by with a horrified expression on her face. Her eyes tell a story her mouth can't. "Sa-no...gomen nasai, gomen..." Kenshin whispers before losing consciousness.
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"I still don't understand." Sano sighs. "Explain this one more time?" He and Kaoru are sitting watch over the unconscious Kenshin inside the dojo. "Ok." Kaoru says. It's obvious they've been over this many times already.
"You were standing there, looking scared. Kenshin yelled his battle cry, and attacked you using his Ama Kakeru Ryu No Hirameki. I arrived in time to see him charging at you and screamed for him to stop. He heard me, and came to his senses, but it was too late to stop his attack. So he placed himself between you and it, getting himself mauled by his own attack in the process."
Sano nods, appearing deep in thought. "But why has he been out for so long?" he finally asks.
"When Kenshin loosed that attack, he wasn't the rurouni that had vowed never to kill again. He was pure hitokiri. If that attack had hit you Sano, you would most likely not be here."
"But why didn't it kill Kenshin then?"
"Kenshin jumped between you and the attack, but he wasn't fast enough to get fully in front of it. He only got hit by the second blow, the much more lethal one, but it was only a glancing blow, not fully across the chest. The first attack very nearly hit you, but luckily the air Kenshin displaced by moving so quickly to get in front of you knocked you over, and the attack skimmed over your head."
"Ooooohhh..." Sano says, finally understanding. "So, when do you think he'll be ok?"
"No one knows...No one knows." Kaoru says sadly.
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A/N: Pretty valiant of Kenshin, huh? Does he seem more in character now? I hope so...he was supposed to start out VERY OOC then gradually as things adjusted slide into his...Kenshin-ness. Ideally that is. Oh well, I must go now. The last or next to last chapter is in the making.
A/N: Well my story is coming to a close. There will probably be one or two chapters after this, but then...that's all. Sad isn't it? I hope you've enjoyed reading this fic as much as I've enjoyed writing it. *sigh* It just doesn't seem right for it to be over. Oh well, maybe I'll start another one! Yay!
Disclaimer: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, I wouldn't be writing fanfic's now would I? NO. I would be taking my "Fanfic"'s and turning them into EPISODES! YAAAA! That would be so cool. But unfortunately...never mind.
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Kenshin turns his back against the early morning sun, his arm draping over the precious bundle next to him. He smiles, watching Kaoru sleep. 'She looks so innocent, so peaceful. Does she really deserve the chaos I'll bring into her life?' Kenshin thinks. 'Too late, she's HAD that chaos since the first time she was kidnapped.' He tells himself.
Kenshin chuckles. She sure hadn't seemed quite so innocent last night. They'd definitely shown each other EXACTLY what they meant to each other. Kenshin's thoughts begin to wander...
'Kenshin no baka, you've got something to do.' He chastens himself. Slowly unwinding his limbs from Kaoru, then prying her fingers gently from his hair, he rises and dons his hatama. Treading silently he walks to his small trunk.
Opening it, buried among his extra clothing from his former hitokiri days, was a fragile band. Kenshin gently holds the fragile ring, examining it for flaws. The thin band is solid platinum, the stone so deep a blue-violet that it seemed it never ends. Kenshin smiles.
He knows exactly how he will wake Kaoru now. Silently padding over to the futon, Kenshin pauses to gaze at Kaoru's relaxed form before continuing. 'This is what I want.' He thought with satisfaction. 'She will always be mine, mine and no one else's. This is just a form of proof.'
And with that he lay back down on the futon, next to Kaoru. Slowly he maneuvers so that he has Kaoru's right hand in his. He kisses her partially awake and then slips the ring on her finger. "Kaoru..." he says, " will you marry me?"
In an instant Kaoru is awake. She decides to have a little fun. "No...I'm already engaged." She says.
"WHAT?!" Kenshin exclaims, sitting up.
Kaoru admires the beautiful ring on her finger. "I can't marry you because I'm engaged already." She repeats.
"TO WHOM IF I MAY ASK!!!?" Kenshin storms with amber eyes. "A great and fearsome swordsman of the Revolution." She replies, still admiring the ring.
Kenshin growls. "I'll rip him limb from limb.who's the unlucky bastard?"
"You should know silly, you're very, very close. He even has the same hair color as you." Kaoru says. 'If he doesn't get it after that then he MUST be whacked.' Kaoru thinks.
"Sano..." Kenshin frowns. 'That bastard, telling me to get a ring and oohhhh, he's gonna die.'
Kaoru sweatdrops, but Kenshin is much too absorbed in his thoughts to notice. "No baka, it isn't -!" Kenshin swiftly stands and then is gone in a flash of white hatama. "KENSHIN!" Kaoru calls, grabbing the blanket as it attempts to fly away. Grumbling about the idiocy of men, she quickly dresses and runs to Sano's aid.
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Kenshin flits through the town, eyes flashing menacingly. 'That bastard will PAY.' He thinks. No longer is the rational thought processes of the rurouni functioning. Something has threatened his hold on Kaoru, and he will do anything to get rid of the threat.
Within minutes he arrives at Sano's apartment. "Zanza!" the former hitokiri calls. "COME FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!" Sano opens his door to discover the shirtless Battousai. 'Oh shit.' He thinks. 'what have I done now?'
Calmly he steps outside the door. "Yes Kenshin?" he says, trying to appeal to the kind rurouni on the inside. Usually you can still see a small spark of Kenshin behind the dark eyes of the assassin, but this time is different.
It's almost as if the rurouni agrees with the assassin. There is only one subject that they agree on...Kaoru. "Kuso! Has something happened to the little missy?!" Sano exclaims. "She's engaged." Battousai growls.
Sano relaxes. So that's what this is about. "Congratula-!"
"To you..." he finishes.
"WHAT?!" Sano exclaims. Ok, so maybe at one time he'd had a LITTLE crush on Kaoru. That doesn't matter anymore! He thinks of her like a sister, not a potential wife! What Kenshin is suggesting is impossible.
"Kenshin, that's not tru--!"
"Come." The Battousai snarls.
"Kenshin! Can't we discuss this rationally like--!"
"Do not force me to come to you. Come." Battousai interrupts.
"KENSHIN!" Sano shouts. "THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"
Battousai attacks. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he cries, running at his terrified adversary.
"KENSHIN NOOOO!"
'This is it, this is the end.' Sano thinks as he waits for the final blow that surely follows the gust of wind that just buffeted him backwards. After several minutes, he opens his eyes to see Kenshin kneeling in front of him, winded and looking very battered.
Kaoru is standing close by with a horrified expression on her face. Her eyes tell a story her mouth can't. "Sa-no...gomen nasai, gomen..." Kenshin whispers before losing consciousness.
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"I still don't understand." Sano sighs. "Explain this one more time?" He and Kaoru are sitting watch over the unconscious Kenshin inside the dojo. "Ok." Kaoru says. It's obvious they've been over this many times already.
"You were standing there, looking scared. Kenshin yelled his battle cry, and attacked you using his Ama Kakeru Ryu No Hirameki. I arrived in time to see him charging at you and screamed for him to stop. He heard me, and came to his senses, but it was too late to stop his attack. So he placed himself between you and it, getting himself mauled by his own attack in the process."
Sano nods, appearing deep in thought. "But why has he been out for so long?" he finally asks.
"When Kenshin loosed that attack, he wasn't the rurouni that had vowed never to kill again. He was pure hitokiri. If that attack had hit you Sano, you would most likely not be here."
"But why didn't it kill Kenshin then?"
"Kenshin jumped between you and the attack, but he wasn't fast enough to get fully in front of it. He only got hit by the second blow, the much more lethal one, but it was only a glancing blow, not fully across the chest. The first attack very nearly hit you, but luckily the air Kenshin displaced by moving so quickly to get in front of you knocked you over, and the attack skimmed over your head."
"Ooooohhh..." Sano says, finally understanding. "So, when do you think he'll be ok?"
"No one knows...No one knows." Kaoru says sadly.
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A/N: Pretty valiant of Kenshin, huh? Does he seem more in character now? I hope so...he was supposed to start out VERY OOC then gradually as things adjusted slide into his...Kenshin-ness. Ideally that is. Oh well, I must go now. The last or next to last chapter is in the making.