Kaoru stiffened. She turned to face Kenshin fully, an odd twinkle to her
eyes. Kenshin was still smiling at her smugly, oblivious to the wrath he
had just bestowed upon himself.
"Excuse me Kenshin, could you repeat that?" she asked sweetly, the glitter intensifying in her anger-darkened blue eyes. Warning bells sounded in Kenshin's head as he struggled to figure out what he had said wrong.
"Um.I knew you'd see it my way?" He asked cautiously.
Kaoru nodded to herself in an affirmative way.
Kenshin never saw it coming. He did see his beautiful Kaoru's face however, just before the darkness took over him.
---Later that night.
Kaoru opened her mother's box of treasures, searching for her mother's mirror. She found it behind some letters her father had written her mother when they were courting. Her father had given her mother the beautiful mirror for her wedding present.
She looked into it examining her features from side to side, frowning.
She did not notice Kenshin watching her from the shadows. He stared at her intently, curious as to what exactly was going on in her mind, but did not want to make himself known. It wasn't often he got the chance to just look at her.
She sighed in frustration, gently placing the mirror back in the box. "Maybe I'm not beautiful, just like Yahiko and Megumi keeps reminding me." She pulled her ribbon out of her hair and let it drop.
Kenshin's breath caught in his throat watching her midnight locks fall wildly around her back. It was not often that he got to see Kaoru's hair down; every time was like magic.
Gently he tiptoed out of the room, pondering Kaoru's words. 'How could she think she's not beautiful?' He wondered.
Kaoru awoke to a pounding at her door. Yahiko barged in rudely, not really caring either. "Hey ugly, aren't you supposed to be leaving now?" He asked. Kaoru waited for the next insult, 'why would a man want to see her?' Surprisingly, Yahiko just marched back out and slammed the door shut.
Kaoru blinked. It's time already? Panicking she searched her clothes for something nice and tried her best to dress quickly.
"Damn it! Who the hell decided to invent the obi anyways?" She growled. She struggled a few more minutes before resigning. "Kenshin! Can you come here please?" She shouted.
Kenshin came hurrying in, sword in hand. "Yes Miss Kaoru? Are you alright?" He searched the room for any signs of intruders.
Kaoru pointed to her obi and gestured her sloppy appearance. Kenshin blushed, putting his sword away.
"Oh." He stated quietly.
He had forgotten about the artist. Without saying a word he helped knot Kaoru's light blue obi. She was wearing a pink kimono underneath a dark blue one with pink cherry blossoms sewn in simple patterns.
She looked wonderful.
"Miss Kaoru, if you don't mind, may I come with you? I have never seen an artist at work before, that I have not."
He didn't mention that he was also going to make sure this guy didn't try anything. Miss Kaoru would definitely not allow him to go if she thought he was there to watch over her as if she were a child.
"Alright Kenshin, but don't start anything, alright?" She said warningly.
He nodded, a glint in his eyes. 'Oh I won't start anything, that I won't. But I definitely will put a stop to something if needs be.' He thought.
* They walked along in companionable silence. Kaoru kept fidgeting with her clothes and hair while Kenshin kept fidgeting with his Sakabatou. He watched Kaoru smoothing out an invisible wrinkle in her kimono, keeping focused on it.
Kenshin sighed and took a hold of her hand. She paused looking at Kenshin in confusion. "You look fine Miss Kaoru, that you do." She smiled weakly at him and squeezed his hand. He smiled back warmly and continued to hold her hand all the way to the clearing to meet Vash.
"Excuse me Kenshin, could you repeat that?" she asked sweetly, the glitter intensifying in her anger-darkened blue eyes. Warning bells sounded in Kenshin's head as he struggled to figure out what he had said wrong.
"Um.I knew you'd see it my way?" He asked cautiously.
Kaoru nodded to herself in an affirmative way.
Kenshin never saw it coming. He did see his beautiful Kaoru's face however, just before the darkness took over him.
---Later that night.
Kaoru opened her mother's box of treasures, searching for her mother's mirror. She found it behind some letters her father had written her mother when they were courting. Her father had given her mother the beautiful mirror for her wedding present.
She looked into it examining her features from side to side, frowning.
She did not notice Kenshin watching her from the shadows. He stared at her intently, curious as to what exactly was going on in her mind, but did not want to make himself known. It wasn't often he got the chance to just look at her.
She sighed in frustration, gently placing the mirror back in the box. "Maybe I'm not beautiful, just like Yahiko and Megumi keeps reminding me." She pulled her ribbon out of her hair and let it drop.
Kenshin's breath caught in his throat watching her midnight locks fall wildly around her back. It was not often that he got to see Kaoru's hair down; every time was like magic.
Gently he tiptoed out of the room, pondering Kaoru's words. 'How could she think she's not beautiful?' He wondered.
Kaoru awoke to a pounding at her door. Yahiko barged in rudely, not really caring either. "Hey ugly, aren't you supposed to be leaving now?" He asked. Kaoru waited for the next insult, 'why would a man want to see her?' Surprisingly, Yahiko just marched back out and slammed the door shut.
Kaoru blinked. It's time already? Panicking she searched her clothes for something nice and tried her best to dress quickly.
"Damn it! Who the hell decided to invent the obi anyways?" She growled. She struggled a few more minutes before resigning. "Kenshin! Can you come here please?" She shouted.
Kenshin came hurrying in, sword in hand. "Yes Miss Kaoru? Are you alright?" He searched the room for any signs of intruders.
Kaoru pointed to her obi and gestured her sloppy appearance. Kenshin blushed, putting his sword away.
"Oh." He stated quietly.
He had forgotten about the artist. Without saying a word he helped knot Kaoru's light blue obi. She was wearing a pink kimono underneath a dark blue one with pink cherry blossoms sewn in simple patterns.
She looked wonderful.
"Miss Kaoru, if you don't mind, may I come with you? I have never seen an artist at work before, that I have not."
He didn't mention that he was also going to make sure this guy didn't try anything. Miss Kaoru would definitely not allow him to go if she thought he was there to watch over her as if she were a child.
"Alright Kenshin, but don't start anything, alright?" She said warningly.
He nodded, a glint in his eyes. 'Oh I won't start anything, that I won't. But I definitely will put a stop to something if needs be.' He thought.
* They walked along in companionable silence. Kaoru kept fidgeting with her clothes and hair while Kenshin kept fidgeting with his Sakabatou. He watched Kaoru smoothing out an invisible wrinkle in her kimono, keeping focused on it.
Kenshin sighed and took a hold of her hand. She paused looking at Kenshin in confusion. "You look fine Miss Kaoru, that you do." She smiled weakly at him and squeezed his hand. He smiled back warmly and continued to hold her hand all the way to the clearing to meet Vash.