Disclaimer: Nobuhiro Watsuki is the owner of Rurouni Kenshin and all of its characters.
A/N: Hi! Eh, well, I'm glad many of your enjoyed the previous chapter. (I personally think it's kinda lame...blah...) But the fun starts HERE! Enjoy!
*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*
As One
Chapter 4: The Second Attempt
The entire group had greeted Kenshin surprised and cheerfully as he'd walked into their dining space earlier that evening. Kaoru could have sworn looks of relief go swimming among Megumi, Misao, and especially Tae's expressions as they saw her approach. On the other hand, Sano's outbursts and his back-smacking gestures averted their attention from her, to Kenshin.
"Himura-san!! How nice to se-"
"Kaoru! You're back! Oh my gosh, where have you-"
"Oi, Kenshin! Whatcha doin', stalking us or-"
"Sano, hurry and up and seat him-"
"How are yo-"
"What are you doing he-"
"Oro~!!!"
"If everyone would just shut up we could get to dinner."
Kaoru's words brought silence on Earth..........
Without another moment's hesitation, Kenshin was seated at the table with a pair of chopsticks in his hand, and a mountain of rice up to his nose set in front of him, and everyone seated properly with their hands together in prayer. Kaoru alone remained standing, and she came and sat next to him, a look of irritation on her face as she reached over and smacked Sano's head with her open palm. She immediately picked up her bowl of rice and began to eat as the ex-gangster beside her clutched his head painfully.
"Stop being so paranoid about my temper and eat, d@mmit."
Kenshin watched, amused as he saw the members of their group relax their tense shoulders and begin to eat. The remaining of dinner was like the previous one, with happy conversations from one point to another, and a hearty meal to be shared among the six of them.
*-.,.-*
Afterwards, everyone had gone off to their rooms to brush up for bed. Kaoru stayed back to do the dishes and the remaining chores before retreating to her room herself.
"Kaoru-dono?"
Kenshin peered through the curtain in the kitchen doorway as she began to roll up her sleeves.
"Oh, yea, Himura-san?"
He entered the kitchen and began to pull back his own sleeves as well.
"Might I help?"
Surprised, she held up both of her hands and motioned that he exit, smiling at his sweetness.
"As a host, I can't let you do that. It's fine, there are only a few dishes. But I really appreciate your offer."
He wasn't convinced. He placed his hands on her shoulders and his eyes spread a look of concern.
"I'm sure you worked very hard today, Kaoru-dono. Please, let me do this as a favor of letting me lodge here tonight."
She could understand how he felt in his gratefulness, but still, she had her role as hostess to maintain as well.
"Let's compromise. How about we lend each other a hand, okay?"
Thus, they stood side-by-side at the sink, awkwardly rubbing shoulders against each other as they scrubbed away at the plates. Right then, Kenshin gave his sponge a tight squeeze, sending light bunches of lather go flying in several directions.
"Oro!"
Kaoru laughed as he twitched his nose, feeling a cluster of bubbles rest at the tip of it. His attempts of turning his head to wipe it off his sleeve were in vain, being that the soap was just at a point where his shirt couldn't quite reach. She reached her finger out, failing to realize that it, too, was soapy, and in the end she ended up wiping more soap on his nose tip.
"Aaah, I'm so sorry!"
Kenshin laughed to himself as she blushed apologetically, about to offer her own sleeve for him to wipe his nose on. However, he then realized that blush creeping across her face wasn't out of embarrassment.
"Kaoru-dono?"
She seemed to be off in a distant place, mentally, as she stood there in her position, her hands still dripping wet with soap. The handful of lather-covered chopsticks that she was holding in her right hand clattered to the floor as she suddenly leaned forward into him, and he awkwardly managed to sustain her without using his slippery hands.
"K-Kaoru-dono! What's wrong?!"
She appeared to have fainted, and with her forehead pressed against the flesh of his collarbone, he felt her face blaring with heat. Kenshin wiped his hands on a dishcloth draped over the faucet and gently settled Kaoru down to her knees on the floor. Supporting her with one arm, he pressed his hand against her brow. Kaoru was running a severe fever.
"This can't be good..."
He immediately took her up in his well-built arms and dashed out the kitchen, rushing her over to her room and propping her up against the wall. From the closet, he pulled out a futon and spread it out, then placed her limp body over it. Her face blushed crimson as beads of sweat trickled over her cheekbones and the crevices of her facial features.
Rushing over to the bathroom, he snatched a small towel from the racks, as well as a plastic bowl used for when bathing. He then ran to the kitchen, pulling open the freezer door and cracking trays of ice and dumping it into the bowl. He filled it with water three-fourths of the way, and hastily returned to Kaoru's side.
He dampened the towel in the ice water, and folded it neatly into fourths before wiping down her heated face. He slid the cool cloth over her neck, around her collarbone, as well as her arms. Behind him, he heard someone's footsteps approach.
"Himura-san, is something wrong? I'm hearing all this running about-oh, Kaoru-san!!"
Tae kneeled beside her and brought a hand to her forehead.
"She's steaming! Oh Himura-san, I'm so sorry to make you so busy..."
He smiled and shook his head as he continued to wipe down her face.
"It's alright, Tae-dono. But right now, I think Kaoru-dono could use some medicine. Could you possibly tell me where I could-"
Tae pushed him back down to his sitting position before he could stand and she bustled out the room.
"Don't you worry Himura-san, let me go get it for you. I believe she could use an ice pack as well..."
Kenshin suddenly turned back to Kaoru from hearing a small groan escape from her lips. He watched as her eyelids slowly cracked open to reveal the hazy shade of blue beneath.
"Hi...Himura...san..."
"Kaoru-dono? Are you alright?"
She turned her head and forced a little smile to reassure him.
"No, no, I'm okay...but..."
"But...?"
She brought both hands to her face and sighed openly.
"Oh no..."
Right then, Tae entered the room holding a container of pills, a glass of water, and an ice pack under her arm.
"Oh, Kaoru-chan, what's wrong?"
Kaoru took her hands off her face and looked at Tae sadly, with hopelessness almost written in her eyes.
"Oh Tae-san...what am I going to do for the show tomorrow? What if I..."
She got cut off mid sentence as Tae placed the chilling ice pack on her brow, bearing the cold and gritted her teeth.
"I don't want you stressing over such things, Kaoru-chan. If you don't get well by tomorrow, then that's that. It's not like the audience is going to abandon you forever for missing a single performance. You should have more faith in your popularity!"
Tae gave her a small wink before handing the container of pills to Kenshin.
"May I put her in your hands, Himura-san? There is still much work to be done tonight."
He accepted her favor, and she politely excused herself with a gentle goodnight as she left the room. Turning back to Kaoru, Kenshin dropped two pills in his hand and gave it to her as she began to sit up. She thanked him and took them down, swallowing down the water with it. She breathed once she drained the cup of its contents, and she slowly laid back down with Kenshin guiding her with one arm.
"Perhaps you shouldn't have been out on the beach this evening."
She laughed quietly.
"Yea, maybe. It felt good either way, though."
Gathering up the container and glass, he shifted to his knees to stand when he felt her hand on his knee, stopping him. He looked down at her as she looked up at him, locking their gaze.
"Himura-san...thank you..."
For a moment, he was silent. Kaoru saw something in his smile change, to something that had even deeper a meaning to it. The violet of his eyes seemed to darken to a black amethyst, and the curve of his lips had a humorous touch, and yet a genuine seriousness adorning it.
In hush, he reached out a hand and gently brought it to her cheek, letting his fingertips caress over her flesh like a sea bird's wings washing over the ocean water. Not once did he avert his eyes from her face as his hand leisurely drew back.
He stood up, almost hastily, and he walked to the door with the materials in his hands.
"Good night, Kaoru-dono."
Flushed and confused, Kaoru watched his face disappear as he slid the door shut. She could have sworn their sapphire to violet eyes clashed a single moment before his face departed entirely from behind the door.
*-.,.-*
"Tae-dono."
Kenshin entered her little room quietly as she looked up from her paper work, surprised.
"Himura-san! Is Kaoru-chan alright? Thank you so much for your help."
He smiled and nodded as he kneeled down across the table.
"It was my pleasure. But right now, there's something I'd like to ask of you..."
*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*
The next day, the audience had poured into the little theatre to view the infamous dancer Kamiya Kaoru in her performance. By the time everyone was seated, the seating areas were entirely filled, and towards the back were people standing, looking over each other's shoulders to get a better view.
The music began, and from behind the set of screens, a single, white arm snaked out elegantly, clothed in a Chinese red fabric with the bottom edge magnificently embroidered with the golden sparrows.
The dancer stepped out into full view, with her kimono strewn out, trailing behind her as she moved in rhythm. The fan covering her face suddenly lowered and came back to rest at her collarbone in a sweeping motion of the arm. Right then, the lights shining down on the stage reflected off of the performer, causing the sparrows to shimmer-
--and glance off the pair of amethyst eyes shining out to the crowd as on-lookers watched in awe.
*-.,.-*
Sano smacked the performer on the back, laughing, as she stepped into backstage, returning from her third bow to the cheering audience.
"Oi, man, you fooled them entirely didn't you, Kenshin? That was amazing!"
Kenshin pulled off his wig and net that held together his flaming mass of red hair. It fell all over his shoulders as he awkwardly pulled at his tight obi.
"I have to admit, that was quite hard. Sagara-dono, could you pass me some make-up remover? I would appreciate it."
Kenshin caught the bottle being thrown at him and he dabbed it on, washing everything off finally with a splash of water. He changed back into his casual clothing, and handed his kimono back to Megumi, who congratulated him on how 'wonderfully feminine' he looked, and was quite pleased with her success on applying his make-up. He just nodded warily and excused himself to get some fresh air outside.
*-.,.-*
Taking in the wind, he pulled back his hair with a rubber band and exited the theatre. He looked up to see Kaoru, leaning against the railing across the road.
She was wearing a light blue summer dress, checkered with white and pale blue here and there. Her hair flew behind her head proudly in a long ponytail, with her matching ribbon flowing among the mass of black.
Her smile was brighter then the sun, even on this hot, summer day.
"Himura-san!"
He looked both ways before crossing and came to her, scratching his head sheepishly and grinning.
"Please don't tell me you were watching, Kaoru-dono."
She laughed and brought a hand to her mouth, trying to prevent it.
"I couldn't help it when Tae-san told me this morning."
She straightened herself out and forced down her giggling, looking at him as if she was about to break down in laughter a second time, pretty quick.
"Himura-san, I don't know how to say it. You were the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen..."
She giggled as he groaned, bringing his hand to his brow as he smacked it. He had to look down to hide his blush.
"Himura-san..."
He suddenly froze as he saw his hand be taken into both of Kaoru's. He looked up into her blue eyes, contrasting with the lighter shade of the sky as she put on a more serious expression.
"Himura-san, I'd like to ask you a great favor, again, from all of us in this small but, quite successful theatre group."
He felt his mouth slightly hang open as he watched her lips move nervously, and her grip on his hand tightened a little.
"Will you become a member with us?"
*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks so much for reading!!! ^__^
A/N: Hi! Eh, well, I'm glad many of your enjoyed the previous chapter. (I personally think it's kinda lame...blah...) But the fun starts HERE! Enjoy!
*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*
As One
Chapter 4: The Second Attempt
The entire group had greeted Kenshin surprised and cheerfully as he'd walked into their dining space earlier that evening. Kaoru could have sworn looks of relief go swimming among Megumi, Misao, and especially Tae's expressions as they saw her approach. On the other hand, Sano's outbursts and his back-smacking gestures averted their attention from her, to Kenshin.
"Himura-san!! How nice to se-"
"Kaoru! You're back! Oh my gosh, where have you-"
"Oi, Kenshin! Whatcha doin', stalking us or-"
"Sano, hurry and up and seat him-"
"How are yo-"
"What are you doing he-"
"Oro~!!!"
"If everyone would just shut up we could get to dinner."
Kaoru's words brought silence on Earth..........
Without another moment's hesitation, Kenshin was seated at the table with a pair of chopsticks in his hand, and a mountain of rice up to his nose set in front of him, and everyone seated properly with their hands together in prayer. Kaoru alone remained standing, and she came and sat next to him, a look of irritation on her face as she reached over and smacked Sano's head with her open palm. She immediately picked up her bowl of rice and began to eat as the ex-gangster beside her clutched his head painfully.
"Stop being so paranoid about my temper and eat, d@mmit."
Kenshin watched, amused as he saw the members of their group relax their tense shoulders and begin to eat. The remaining of dinner was like the previous one, with happy conversations from one point to another, and a hearty meal to be shared among the six of them.
*-.,.-*
Afterwards, everyone had gone off to their rooms to brush up for bed. Kaoru stayed back to do the dishes and the remaining chores before retreating to her room herself.
"Kaoru-dono?"
Kenshin peered through the curtain in the kitchen doorway as she began to roll up her sleeves.
"Oh, yea, Himura-san?"
He entered the kitchen and began to pull back his own sleeves as well.
"Might I help?"
Surprised, she held up both of her hands and motioned that he exit, smiling at his sweetness.
"As a host, I can't let you do that. It's fine, there are only a few dishes. But I really appreciate your offer."
He wasn't convinced. He placed his hands on her shoulders and his eyes spread a look of concern.
"I'm sure you worked very hard today, Kaoru-dono. Please, let me do this as a favor of letting me lodge here tonight."
She could understand how he felt in his gratefulness, but still, she had her role as hostess to maintain as well.
"Let's compromise. How about we lend each other a hand, okay?"
Thus, they stood side-by-side at the sink, awkwardly rubbing shoulders against each other as they scrubbed away at the plates. Right then, Kenshin gave his sponge a tight squeeze, sending light bunches of lather go flying in several directions.
"Oro!"
Kaoru laughed as he twitched his nose, feeling a cluster of bubbles rest at the tip of it. His attempts of turning his head to wipe it off his sleeve were in vain, being that the soap was just at a point where his shirt couldn't quite reach. She reached her finger out, failing to realize that it, too, was soapy, and in the end she ended up wiping more soap on his nose tip.
"Aaah, I'm so sorry!"
Kenshin laughed to himself as she blushed apologetically, about to offer her own sleeve for him to wipe his nose on. However, he then realized that blush creeping across her face wasn't out of embarrassment.
"Kaoru-dono?"
She seemed to be off in a distant place, mentally, as she stood there in her position, her hands still dripping wet with soap. The handful of lather-covered chopsticks that she was holding in her right hand clattered to the floor as she suddenly leaned forward into him, and he awkwardly managed to sustain her without using his slippery hands.
"K-Kaoru-dono! What's wrong?!"
She appeared to have fainted, and with her forehead pressed against the flesh of his collarbone, he felt her face blaring with heat. Kenshin wiped his hands on a dishcloth draped over the faucet and gently settled Kaoru down to her knees on the floor. Supporting her with one arm, he pressed his hand against her brow. Kaoru was running a severe fever.
"This can't be good..."
He immediately took her up in his well-built arms and dashed out the kitchen, rushing her over to her room and propping her up against the wall. From the closet, he pulled out a futon and spread it out, then placed her limp body over it. Her face blushed crimson as beads of sweat trickled over her cheekbones and the crevices of her facial features.
Rushing over to the bathroom, he snatched a small towel from the racks, as well as a plastic bowl used for when bathing. He then ran to the kitchen, pulling open the freezer door and cracking trays of ice and dumping it into the bowl. He filled it with water three-fourths of the way, and hastily returned to Kaoru's side.
He dampened the towel in the ice water, and folded it neatly into fourths before wiping down her heated face. He slid the cool cloth over her neck, around her collarbone, as well as her arms. Behind him, he heard someone's footsteps approach.
"Himura-san, is something wrong? I'm hearing all this running about-oh, Kaoru-san!!"
Tae kneeled beside her and brought a hand to her forehead.
"She's steaming! Oh Himura-san, I'm so sorry to make you so busy..."
He smiled and shook his head as he continued to wipe down her face.
"It's alright, Tae-dono. But right now, I think Kaoru-dono could use some medicine. Could you possibly tell me where I could-"
Tae pushed him back down to his sitting position before he could stand and she bustled out the room.
"Don't you worry Himura-san, let me go get it for you. I believe she could use an ice pack as well..."
Kenshin suddenly turned back to Kaoru from hearing a small groan escape from her lips. He watched as her eyelids slowly cracked open to reveal the hazy shade of blue beneath.
"Hi...Himura...san..."
"Kaoru-dono? Are you alright?"
She turned her head and forced a little smile to reassure him.
"No, no, I'm okay...but..."
"But...?"
She brought both hands to her face and sighed openly.
"Oh no..."
Right then, Tae entered the room holding a container of pills, a glass of water, and an ice pack under her arm.
"Oh, Kaoru-chan, what's wrong?"
Kaoru took her hands off her face and looked at Tae sadly, with hopelessness almost written in her eyes.
"Oh Tae-san...what am I going to do for the show tomorrow? What if I..."
She got cut off mid sentence as Tae placed the chilling ice pack on her brow, bearing the cold and gritted her teeth.
"I don't want you stressing over such things, Kaoru-chan. If you don't get well by tomorrow, then that's that. It's not like the audience is going to abandon you forever for missing a single performance. You should have more faith in your popularity!"
Tae gave her a small wink before handing the container of pills to Kenshin.
"May I put her in your hands, Himura-san? There is still much work to be done tonight."
He accepted her favor, and she politely excused herself with a gentle goodnight as she left the room. Turning back to Kaoru, Kenshin dropped two pills in his hand and gave it to her as she began to sit up. She thanked him and took them down, swallowing down the water with it. She breathed once she drained the cup of its contents, and she slowly laid back down with Kenshin guiding her with one arm.
"Perhaps you shouldn't have been out on the beach this evening."
She laughed quietly.
"Yea, maybe. It felt good either way, though."
Gathering up the container and glass, he shifted to his knees to stand when he felt her hand on his knee, stopping him. He looked down at her as she looked up at him, locking their gaze.
"Himura-san...thank you..."
For a moment, he was silent. Kaoru saw something in his smile change, to something that had even deeper a meaning to it. The violet of his eyes seemed to darken to a black amethyst, and the curve of his lips had a humorous touch, and yet a genuine seriousness adorning it.
In hush, he reached out a hand and gently brought it to her cheek, letting his fingertips caress over her flesh like a sea bird's wings washing over the ocean water. Not once did he avert his eyes from her face as his hand leisurely drew back.
He stood up, almost hastily, and he walked to the door with the materials in his hands.
"Good night, Kaoru-dono."
Flushed and confused, Kaoru watched his face disappear as he slid the door shut. She could have sworn their sapphire to violet eyes clashed a single moment before his face departed entirely from behind the door.
*-.,.-*
"Tae-dono."
Kenshin entered her little room quietly as she looked up from her paper work, surprised.
"Himura-san! Is Kaoru-chan alright? Thank you so much for your help."
He smiled and nodded as he kneeled down across the table.
"It was my pleasure. But right now, there's something I'd like to ask of you..."
*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*
The next day, the audience had poured into the little theatre to view the infamous dancer Kamiya Kaoru in her performance. By the time everyone was seated, the seating areas were entirely filled, and towards the back were people standing, looking over each other's shoulders to get a better view.
The music began, and from behind the set of screens, a single, white arm snaked out elegantly, clothed in a Chinese red fabric with the bottom edge magnificently embroidered with the golden sparrows.
The dancer stepped out into full view, with her kimono strewn out, trailing behind her as she moved in rhythm. The fan covering her face suddenly lowered and came back to rest at her collarbone in a sweeping motion of the arm. Right then, the lights shining down on the stage reflected off of the performer, causing the sparrows to shimmer-
--and glance off the pair of amethyst eyes shining out to the crowd as on-lookers watched in awe.
*-.,.-*
Sano smacked the performer on the back, laughing, as she stepped into backstage, returning from her third bow to the cheering audience.
"Oi, man, you fooled them entirely didn't you, Kenshin? That was amazing!"
Kenshin pulled off his wig and net that held together his flaming mass of red hair. It fell all over his shoulders as he awkwardly pulled at his tight obi.
"I have to admit, that was quite hard. Sagara-dono, could you pass me some make-up remover? I would appreciate it."
Kenshin caught the bottle being thrown at him and he dabbed it on, washing everything off finally with a splash of water. He changed back into his casual clothing, and handed his kimono back to Megumi, who congratulated him on how 'wonderfully feminine' he looked, and was quite pleased with her success on applying his make-up. He just nodded warily and excused himself to get some fresh air outside.
*-.,.-*
Taking in the wind, he pulled back his hair with a rubber band and exited the theatre. He looked up to see Kaoru, leaning against the railing across the road.
She was wearing a light blue summer dress, checkered with white and pale blue here and there. Her hair flew behind her head proudly in a long ponytail, with her matching ribbon flowing among the mass of black.
Her smile was brighter then the sun, even on this hot, summer day.
"Himura-san!"
He looked both ways before crossing and came to her, scratching his head sheepishly and grinning.
"Please don't tell me you were watching, Kaoru-dono."
She laughed and brought a hand to her mouth, trying to prevent it.
"I couldn't help it when Tae-san told me this morning."
She straightened herself out and forced down her giggling, looking at him as if she was about to break down in laughter a second time, pretty quick.
"Himura-san, I don't know how to say it. You were the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen..."
She giggled as he groaned, bringing his hand to his brow as he smacked it. He had to look down to hide his blush.
"Himura-san..."
He suddenly froze as he saw his hand be taken into both of Kaoru's. He looked up into her blue eyes, contrasting with the lighter shade of the sky as she put on a more serious expression.
"Himura-san, I'd like to ask you a great favor, again, from all of us in this small but, quite successful theatre group."
He felt his mouth slightly hang open as he watched her lips move nervously, and her grip on his hand tightened a little.
"Will you become a member with us?"
*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*-.,.-*
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks so much for reading!!! ^__^