A/N: Hi! ^_^ Well, I've been a fan of RK since day one, and I absolutely love K/K!! Hence, I decided I would TRY my luck at writing a RK fic. So, here it is, my VERY first one. I'm sorry if it's not that good. Any feedback would be nice, even flames. I won't hurt anyone for that.
Spoilers: Um, the episode right before he has his duel with Jin-eh…What was the name of that episode? My friend Shishigami (she has a RK fic out too, you should read. It's good…if she EVER UPDATES!!! *hint, hint*) wasn't at home when I called, and she has all the RK information. But I think almost everyone's seen that episode.
Disclaimer: If I owned RK, Kenshin and Kaoru would have already gotten married, and they're not, so needless to say, I don't own RK. End of story.
Jasmine Blossom
Time and time again... It all repeated itself in an ironic dance.
Pain...suffering...healing...attack.
All four of those steps have ruled his life since he could remember.
Maybe that's why he wanted to protect her. To make sure she didn't dance those four steps. To keep her from its melancholy and addictive melody.
But it didn't work...
He had purposely left her to keep her safe, to keep her away from his enemies...away from his heart.
The truth was he cared about her deeply. Maybe even love her. Wait. Love? How is that possible? How could he love someone after losing her?...
Even after ten years, the pain of losing his wife still cut him like a sharp knife into his heart. He was afraid to love again. He was afraid of hurting another gentle blossom. Of ruining her life. Of...killing her.... He couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear the thought of being the one to cause her death. To destroy her light, that precious light that kept him going. To taint her beautiful ivory skin with the heinous red stain of blood. To end her enchanting song of life. That was why he had to leave her, yet...it was the reason he had to stay...
And the reason Jin-eh would pay for kidnapping her.
His eyes narrowed at the thought, and his teeth clenched together in anger. Jin-eh… He had a score to settle with that assassin. He took away Kaoru-dono, and that was reason enough for him to almost even kill him. Wait, what about his vow?
He snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. He couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgment. As much as Kaoru-dono meant to him, he couldn't let that take over his mind…even though it had already taken over his heart. That was the absolute truth that it most certainly was. Kaoru-dono had indeed become a very important person in his life, and the thought of losing her sent his body almost into cold shivers of shock. He just couldn't imagine it.
She had taken him in, without any regard to his past. She had accepted him for who he was, with or without his codename the Battousai. She believe in him, she believed that he was gentle and through with killing. She believed him to be a good person. She had given him shelter, comfort, and purpose. He was tired of wandering. He wanted to stay…he wanted to stay with her. She had become his home. And he didn't want to give that up.
He was going to save her. He would make sure of it. Even if it would be his last act in this life, he would rescue her from her kidnapper Jin-eh. He could only pray that nothing had happened to her before he would reach her. He would never forgive himself for lowering his guard for her capture to be possible, but he would rather die than for anything to happen to his Kaoru-dono.
His? Why was he being so possessive of her? She wasn't a piece of property he could claim; he knew that. He wouldn't dare try to treat like anything less than the treasure that she was. She was a very strong woman, and beautiful too, if he did say so himself. Her long black hair looked as shiny as silk, and her blue eyes shined like a pair of sapphires. Her skin was as pale as the white snow, and her form was that of a geisha. She had a strong sense of morals, and she was ready to stand up for what she believed in. She was as close to perfection as any woman would be, he decided.
Thinking of her helped to pass the agonizingly long minutes that were until the appointed time for their duel. He almost even smiled at the thought of her smiling, safe back at her home, the dojo, with Yahiko and Sanosuke. She was sitting there on the front porch, talking to him, her smile and aura brightening up the whole place…maybe even his world. She was making him feel at ease as she told him of her father and Yahiko's process with his swordsmanship and intoxicating him with her scent of jasmine.
He took a pause from his thoughts and looked up at the full moon hanging above in the velvety black night sky. It was time. He would go and rescue Kaoru-dono from Jin-eh. He would save his home, his light, his….
Jasmine blossom.