WAAAAIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here it is at last -- the conclusion to this humble series of mine. I won't keep you waiting too long.
glossary:
gaijin = foreigners
domo = thanks; less formal than the superformal "domo arigatou gozaimasu"
datte = Kaoru's "but"
aa = informal "yes"
Kinou no Kakera (A Piece of Yesterday)
by Mirune Keishiko
Nine: Resolution
"I wonder where Keisuke's been these past few days," said Kaoru, half to herself. She stopped sweeping the courtyard and propped up her chin on top of her broomhandle, staring thoughtfully out toward the street. "He said he'd be going back to his ship today. I haven't seen him since that night at the--"
Kaoru caught herself just in time. Feeling her cheeks heat with the memories that came to her, she sneaked a glance at Kenshin.
In the laundry tub by the well, Suzume and Ayame splashed gleefully, oblivious to Kaoru's slip of the tongue. Kenshin's smiling purple eyes met Kaoru's serious blue ones over the froth and suds as he sat down to the morning's laundry. "You know, you're right. I don't know him as well as you do, but it doesn't seem like him to just stop visiting us so suddenly."
His voice was carefree and light as always, but just to be sure Kaoru continued to watch him as she pretended to continue sweeping the yard. Nothing seemed amiss, however. Kenshin appeared perfectly sunshiny as he playfully stirred up more bubbles in the water for the little girls to throw at him -- as they seemed to so enjoy doing.
Relatively comforted, Kaoru went back to her sweeping with a vengeance. Autumn was setting in early, and already leaves covered the yard in feathery brown and red. As she went about her work, memories of that evening two days ago played in her mind.
After Kaoru had recovered her customary courage -- with some help from Kenshin -- she had gone back to look for Keisuke, who was nowhere to be found. Kenshin had accompanied her then to Keisuke's quarters in the seaside part of the city. There they were told that he had come back, but house rules prohibited visitors at that late hour. Kaoru had left a short, apologetic message, which the clerk promised to pass on first thing in the morning, Kenshin and Kaoru went home -- and then nothing.
Meanwhile, Kaoru was happy to find that the situation at the dojo improved considerably after that night. Though neither Kenshin nor she was given to loud, public displays of adoration, the others soon seemed to realize that -- somehow, while they had been looking the other way -- something had been broken between the two, some unconscious barrier that used to hold back all the power of their feelings for each other.
Now, all of a sudden, Sanosuke was grinning constantly and deriving inordinate satisfaction from catching the two of them together, even in the most innocent circumstances. Yahiko was forever winking and teasing, unperturbed by the heaviest blows from Kaoru's bokken. Even Megumi, after a while of envious glances and coy remarks, appeared to be sincere in her congratulations to the slightly bewildered couple.
/Maybe it really *is* obvious,/ thought Kaoru, absently eyeing Kenshin over her broom as he scrubbed away with the laundry. Kenshin *had* been especially solicitous toward her the past days, even in the simplest things like preparing her bath and bringing her her freshly laundered clothes at the end of the day. And Kaoru had had a hard time acting normally under the perpetual gaze of those soulful violet eyes that had never seemed quite so soulful before.
As if sensing her scrutiny, Kenshin looked up. Kaoru caught her breath at those eyes, huge and dark, and at that moment as they focused on her, full of a heated passion that sent an unfamiliar thrill down her spine.
Quickly Kaoru looked away, busied herself with her sweeping. From the corner of her eye she saw Kenshin return to his laundry, smiling slightly as he turned his attention back to a stain on one of Yahiko's shirts.
There it was. Kaoru sighed and scraped listlessly at the ground with her broom. Kenshin was being supremely sweet, affectionate, and attentive the past few days, but... that was all. She often found him looking at her, with something hot and mysterious in his eyes that took her breath away even as it made her ache inside. It filled her with excitement as well as curiosity, and she kept waiting, longing for that moment he would follow up on what his worshipful eyes so eloquently said.
But he never did.
He had never touched her, never held her, never whispered to her, ever since that passionate embrace under the stars. After his repeated endearments that night, nothing but silence had followed. To herself, Kaoru admitted that she found his warm glances and
tender ministrations wonderful, tantalizing... and sadly insufficient. What Kaoru refused to acknowledge was the doubt starting to take insidious root in her heart.
Perhaps he had not meant it. Even Sano had said it before-- "Put him in a real-life situation with normal people and he's a complete pushover." Perhaps Kenshin had merely been too sympathetic, too solicitous to a woman confused.
But then he had whispered sweet words, words of which she had given over her soul to dreaming; he had held her close, his tears had wet her hair. He was not the type to lie, or deceive, or even flirt. Surely he had not begun now.
Kaoru mulled over this stubbornly as she cast another furtive glance at the rurouni seated by the well, gravely scrubbing yukata. /Baka!/ she thought suddenly, irritably. Perhaps her doubt was entirely unfounded, but then...
She knew little of lovers, but she imagined they stole kisses constantly, they shared secret moments alone together, they talked and laughed and whispered and teased in a strange and beautiful world all their own. Kenshin was certainly not doing any of this with her!
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the gate.
Despite herself Kaoru felt her heart lurch within her at that distinctive, familiar knock. She dropped the room and ran to the front of the house, then slowly came to a halt in the middle of the yard.
Keisuke stood outside like a vision in his dark blue navy uniform, reminding Kaoru of that first time she had seen him waiting inside the front room -- apparently nothing of the irrepressible, playful, light-hearted, idealistic teenaged boy she remembered from years before. It had taken her about three minutes to realize that the boy had merely become a man. Keisuke was almost unchanged, except that the mischievousness was tempered with consideration, the idealism with experience. And the romance... the romance and affection of the earnest young boy was still all there.
Kaoru smiled, watching as Keisuke turned his head to look around him. The sunshine struck his face, his clear brown eyes, and his dark hair, accentuating the proud good looks that had melted so many girls' hearts in his youth. Kaoru wondered how many more hearts
would melt in the future. She doubted that -- with Keisuke the up-and-coming navy officer -- there wouldn't be a few gaijin hearts in there somewhere.
"Kei-kun!" she said happily, hurrying toward him. As he beamed at her she rushed forward and threw her arms around him, feeling his own arms encircle her affectionately. Kaoru laid her ear against his chest and felt his heart beat beneath within, strong and clear and proud.
/He's all right./ Kaoru moved back and smiled up at him. /I'm so glad. He's fine./
"I'm glad you decided to come here. Your ship is leaving today, isn't it?"
Keisuke's smile was wide and genuine was ever, although Kaoru did not miss the slight shadow that darkened the brown eyes. "It's leaving in a few hours, actually. I'm on my way to the docks, but I thought I'd stop by for a minute first."
"I haven't heard anything from you in days. I've been worried." Kaoru eyed him with a frown.
He threw back his head and laughed. Kaoru savored the sound of his strong, hearty laugh. She had the feeling she wouldn't be hearing it for a long, long time.
"Domo, Kaoru. I got your message that night. I'm touched that you still care for me." Keisuke caught hold of her hand and squeezed it.
Something in his teasing voice made her glance up at him, but then the look in his eyes made her uncomfortable. Feeling heat rise to her cheeks, she averted her gaze.
Keisuke touched her cheek. "Daijoubu, Kaoru. I saw everything that night, anyway. I think I still know you enough" -- he met her sudden startled gaze evenly -- "to believe that you really do love that rurouni of yours that much."
Kaoru bit her lip and thought of Kenshin. "I do," she said softly. "In spite of everything, I really do."
Keisuke regarded her gravely. "I understand. I respect that love -- that love you both share. Others might disapprove, but I think he makes you happy, Kaoru. I think he'll make you happy for the rest of your life. And that's good enough for me."
Kaoru could not meet his gaze. "Gomen nasai, Kei-kun... datte--"
With a somber smile, Keisuke gently placed a finger on her lips. "Don't apologize, Kaoru. Don't ever apologize for what you feel. If anything, it is I who should apologize. I was a little bit blind and a great lot foolish not to have seen what should have been obvious from the start."
Kaoru smiled. "Don't say that. You weren't the only blind one around, ne, Kei-kun?"
They were still laughing when Keisuke seemed to remember something. As Kaoru watched curiously, he reached into his pack and pulled out something long and cylindrical, wrapped in special silver-lined paper. "Accept this humble gift with my thanks," he chuckled as he handed the object to her.
"Of course I will." Kaoru's reply was automatic as she hefted the object in her hands. It was light for its size, and as she tapped it there was a soft, muffled, hollow sound. "A painting?" she asked, looking up at him.
He nodded. "Aa. Consider it my wedding gift to you in advance." He laughed again as warm blood flooded her cheeks. "Kamiya-sensei, do you think I would be so thoughtless as to refuse you a gift for your wedding? I'm sure it isn't so far away." His eyes twinkled at her. "It isn't just decoration, either. It's to remind you that wherever I might be in this world, I'll always be there for you, Kaoru. If you
ever need anything, just call. Leave it to me to find you."
Kaoru looked up, rapt, into his shining dark eyes. She nodded, once, clutching the wrapped scroll tightly in her hand.
"That's it then. I'll be going. There, you see? I gave you a proper goodbye this time." Keisuke winked at her. "I'll miss you, and I'll miss this place. I'll miss those friends of yours too. I'll be back to visit as soon as I can."
"You better," said Kaoru with a grin. "And maybe next time, you'll bring a girl with you. Maybe even a wife, Kei-kun."
He looked at her then, with a funny mix in his eyes of amusement, regret, hope, disappointment, resignation, love,and longing, and Kaoru felt her throat tighten with tears. Wordlessly she ran toward him and felt herself caught up in a tight hug. Sighing contentedly, she heard, once again, the steady, strong beat of Keisuke's heart. She smiled.
/He'll be fine./
Kaoru took a step backward from the wall, peered at it critically, and shook her head. After one last adjustment she stepped back again and eyed her work with an air of satisfaction.
"A good picture," commented a gentle voice behind her.
"Kenshin." After months of his presence Kaoru had finally gotten used to him prowling the house late at night in veritable silence; the hitokiri's stealth skills were still sharp. She turned to him with a smile. "It's Keisuke's gift."
"It's nice." Kenshin moved to stand beside her, looking at the wall hanging with an appreciative eye. The lamp in the corner threw bright yellow light on the painting. "Two ships, side by side. One is a traditional vessel, made of silken sails and wood, and the other a new steam-driven ship. Both fly the Japanese flag. Together they sail through choppy waters, toward the clearer weather on the horizon."
Kaoru laughed. "That's a lot more poetic than what I was thinking, but I guess -- if you get down to it -- it's about the same."
Kenshin smiled, but it was obvious that something else was on his mind. "So Niimi-san went back to his ship this afternoon," he murmured.
"Hai." She followed him as he walked out onto the porch.
Clouds raced across the sky, their fleecy gray shapes barely discernible against the evening darkness. There would be rain in the morning, the chill, prickling rain of autumn. Kaoru watched Kenshin stride out to the edge of the porch, looking out over the moonlit yard.
"I don't want to worry you," began Kenshin quietly, "but there is something I would like to ask you, if you don't mind."
Always polite. Unfailingly considerate. Kaoru shook her head. "Kenshin, you don't have to worry about worrying me. I'd prefer that you say it out loud instead of keeping it to yourself."
Despite her protest, he was silent for many minutes, watching the bamboo pump slump back and forth in the pond.
"I was wondering," he said, softly, "if you had any regrets."
"Kenshin." Kaoru laid a hand on his shoulder, in reproach as well as comfort. "You ought to know me better than that."
A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips. "I felt that that would be the answer," he said, glancing at her, "but -- I didn't dare to hope."
"Baka," she promptly said, tweaking his ear so that he yelped. "You 'don't dare to hope' way too much. You should trust me more. And treat yourself better."
His smile was real this time. "Hearing it from you, Kaoru-dono, I suppose I should take it to heart now."
"Well, I'm glad to see you're finally making sense." Her sharp tones quickly softened. "Kenshin... Keisuke isn't the one I want. It isn't healthy to keep looking to the past. You know that too, ne?" Kaoru met his gaze seriously. "I won't look back now. I have you. And with you, I'll keep looking to the future, to what it has in store for both of us."
Her voice turned playful. "Besides, marrying Keisuke would have meant giving up the dojo and moving all the way to Yokohama. And you know I could never give up this place."
A chill wind gusted through the yard, and Kaoru shivered involuntarily in her thin yukata.
"You're cold, Kaoru-dono." Kaoru froze in surprise, staring wide-eyed, as Kenshin shrugged out of his gi and placed it gently over her shoulders. "Here, wear this-- to keep you warm..."
Kenshin's strong, lean arms slid over her own with the last words, and Kaoru shivered again, though not with the cold this time. She felt him lay his cheek against hers, cool against her warm flesh, and cuddled his arms against her with a sigh. He responded by twining their fingers together -- his motion so delicate, his touch so light, that little currents of heat passed up and down her back. Without thinking,
she purred, deep in her throat.
Kenshin pulled slightly back and faced her with amused purple eyes. "You like that?"
"Mmmm." Kaoru smiled and lay her head on his shoulder. "Very much. Ne, Kenshin... We haven't been this close since that night. I was starting to miss it."
As Kaoru spoke, the boldness unfamiliar to her, she felt embarrassment warm her face. But Kenshin's low, husky, infinitely masculine chuckle more than made up for it. She smiled shakily, and then the smile wavered and disappeared as Kenshin whispered, his hot
breath tickling her ear, "Ai shiteru, Kaoru-dono."
Tears misted her eyes. Her grasp tightened on his fingers. "Say it again," she murmured.
He pressed a kiss to the softness below her ear, in wordless apology for his earlier silence, wordless promise for rectification. "Ai shiteru."
Kaoru shivered. "Kenshin..." Her hands crept up his arms, running across bare, smooth skin, taut muscles.
"I love you too. I..."
He kissed her again. On her open mouth. After long moments, Kaoru broke the contact, staring up at him with heavy-lidded blue eyes, flushed, breathless. Her fingers traced feather-light patterns on his cheek.
"I love..."
Kenshin's lips marked a path from her palm, to her wrist, lingering hotly down her arm, to place a final kiss in her elbow. She drew in a shuddering breath, gently pushed away the fiery hair from his fiery eyes.
"I love you..."
The rain began to fall, spotting the ground in countless dark pinpricks of wetness, raising from the hot earth a sweet, green smell. The wind was cold and brisk as it shook leaves from the trees, eventually driving the two inside into the warmth of the house.
Overhead, the moon was full and bright, and even the fine rainclouds that skittered over it were not enough to hide away its silver light completely.
~ owari ~
It's over, finally. This was quite a long chapter but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for a tenth part. I hope I tied the loose ends together neatly... This last bit took a bit more to start, but once it began it sort of got a spirit of its own, moving toward completion all by itself.
I hope the last WAFFy bit was all right. It's one o'clock already and my eyes are starting to shut. Too bad I haven't got a Kenshin around to keep me awake. ^.^x
To all who read and all who reviewed (as of 12 April 2004) --thank you so much for reading!
babeekoko - haha! thanks for the chapter-by-chapter review! it was so much fun to read them... like i was reading right along with you and sympathizing with everything you felt. i'm happy to have pleased you. ^.^ (gee, i sound like a waiter at a restaurant...)
Aimi-chan - thank you! emotions do seem to be my forte... on the other hand, i do pretty badly with plot and humor. so you see, cosmic balance. ^.^
ixchen - heh-heh. a little suspense never hurt anyone. thanks for the review. ^.^
DragonLoki - glad you liked it! hmm, i don't know about a sequel though. just lemme finish this other one that's still on the burner and then i will consider things properly. ^.~
blahblahHOBO - hee hee! did you get your answer?
Kiwifroot - cute name! and thanks for the open-minded suggestion. see DragonLoki above ^.~
CrismHeart - heh... *scratches head* thanks, thanks. i think i do romance so that i get a vicarious love life of my own. ^.~ don't worry, i'm loyal too... as you saw!
Merlynne - i like your term-- "fabulously indulgent." yes, that does seem to be the kind of story this is, ne? ^.^ very belatedly, the glossaries are now up per chapter. i'm glad you were able to "lose yourself" in the story: i also thoroughly enjoy it when that happens to me, so i sought to do my readers the same service. and as for more k/k-- you might want to check out my latest k/k, a oneshot entitled "Morning After," also on FFnet. ^.^
ChiisaiLammy - welcome, welcome to my humble little fic! i've fixed the format (at long last!), still in time i hope to facilitate your reading. i have to admit it's kind of a been-done story (even the kind people at KFFDiscML said so... ^.^;) but i hope i still managed to put an original spin on it. ^.^
glossary:
gaijin = foreigners
domo = thanks; less formal than the superformal "domo arigatou gozaimasu"
datte = Kaoru's "but"
aa = informal "yes"
Kinou no Kakera (A Piece of Yesterday)
by Mirune Keishiko
Nine: Resolution
"I wonder where Keisuke's been these past few days," said Kaoru, half to herself. She stopped sweeping the courtyard and propped up her chin on top of her broomhandle, staring thoughtfully out toward the street. "He said he'd be going back to his ship today. I haven't seen him since that night at the--"
Kaoru caught herself just in time. Feeling her cheeks heat with the memories that came to her, she sneaked a glance at Kenshin.
In the laundry tub by the well, Suzume and Ayame splashed gleefully, oblivious to Kaoru's slip of the tongue. Kenshin's smiling purple eyes met Kaoru's serious blue ones over the froth and suds as he sat down to the morning's laundry. "You know, you're right. I don't know him as well as you do, but it doesn't seem like him to just stop visiting us so suddenly."
His voice was carefree and light as always, but just to be sure Kaoru continued to watch him as she pretended to continue sweeping the yard. Nothing seemed amiss, however. Kenshin appeared perfectly sunshiny as he playfully stirred up more bubbles in the water for the little girls to throw at him -- as they seemed to so enjoy doing.
Relatively comforted, Kaoru went back to her sweeping with a vengeance. Autumn was setting in early, and already leaves covered the yard in feathery brown and red. As she went about her work, memories of that evening two days ago played in her mind.
After Kaoru had recovered her customary courage -- with some help from Kenshin -- she had gone back to look for Keisuke, who was nowhere to be found. Kenshin had accompanied her then to Keisuke's quarters in the seaside part of the city. There they were told that he had come back, but house rules prohibited visitors at that late hour. Kaoru had left a short, apologetic message, which the clerk promised to pass on first thing in the morning, Kenshin and Kaoru went home -- and then nothing.
Meanwhile, Kaoru was happy to find that the situation at the dojo improved considerably after that night. Though neither Kenshin nor she was given to loud, public displays of adoration, the others soon seemed to realize that -- somehow, while they had been looking the other way -- something had been broken between the two, some unconscious barrier that used to hold back all the power of their feelings for each other.
Now, all of a sudden, Sanosuke was grinning constantly and deriving inordinate satisfaction from catching the two of them together, even in the most innocent circumstances. Yahiko was forever winking and teasing, unperturbed by the heaviest blows from Kaoru's bokken. Even Megumi, after a while of envious glances and coy remarks, appeared to be sincere in her congratulations to the slightly bewildered couple.
/Maybe it really *is* obvious,/ thought Kaoru, absently eyeing Kenshin over her broom as he scrubbed away with the laundry. Kenshin *had* been especially solicitous toward her the past days, even in the simplest things like preparing her bath and bringing her her freshly laundered clothes at the end of the day. And Kaoru had had a hard time acting normally under the perpetual gaze of those soulful violet eyes that had never seemed quite so soulful before.
As if sensing her scrutiny, Kenshin looked up. Kaoru caught her breath at those eyes, huge and dark, and at that moment as they focused on her, full of a heated passion that sent an unfamiliar thrill down her spine.
Quickly Kaoru looked away, busied herself with her sweeping. From the corner of her eye she saw Kenshin return to his laundry, smiling slightly as he turned his attention back to a stain on one of Yahiko's shirts.
There it was. Kaoru sighed and scraped listlessly at the ground with her broom. Kenshin was being supremely sweet, affectionate, and attentive the past few days, but... that was all. She often found him looking at her, with something hot and mysterious in his eyes that took her breath away even as it made her ache inside. It filled her with excitement as well as curiosity, and she kept waiting, longing for that moment he would follow up on what his worshipful eyes so eloquently said.
But he never did.
He had never touched her, never held her, never whispered to her, ever since that passionate embrace under the stars. After his repeated endearments that night, nothing but silence had followed. To herself, Kaoru admitted that she found his warm glances and
tender ministrations wonderful, tantalizing... and sadly insufficient. What Kaoru refused to acknowledge was the doubt starting to take insidious root in her heart.
Perhaps he had not meant it. Even Sano had said it before-- "Put him in a real-life situation with normal people and he's a complete pushover." Perhaps Kenshin had merely been too sympathetic, too solicitous to a woman confused.
But then he had whispered sweet words, words of which she had given over her soul to dreaming; he had held her close, his tears had wet her hair. He was not the type to lie, or deceive, or even flirt. Surely he had not begun now.
Kaoru mulled over this stubbornly as she cast another furtive glance at the rurouni seated by the well, gravely scrubbing yukata. /Baka!/ she thought suddenly, irritably. Perhaps her doubt was entirely unfounded, but then...
She knew little of lovers, but she imagined they stole kisses constantly, they shared secret moments alone together, they talked and laughed and whispered and teased in a strange and beautiful world all their own. Kenshin was certainly not doing any of this with her!
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the gate.
Despite herself Kaoru felt her heart lurch within her at that distinctive, familiar knock. She dropped the room and ran to the front of the house, then slowly came to a halt in the middle of the yard.
Keisuke stood outside like a vision in his dark blue navy uniform, reminding Kaoru of that first time she had seen him waiting inside the front room -- apparently nothing of the irrepressible, playful, light-hearted, idealistic teenaged boy she remembered from years before. It had taken her about three minutes to realize that the boy had merely become a man. Keisuke was almost unchanged, except that the mischievousness was tempered with consideration, the idealism with experience. And the romance... the romance and affection of the earnest young boy was still all there.
Kaoru smiled, watching as Keisuke turned his head to look around him. The sunshine struck his face, his clear brown eyes, and his dark hair, accentuating the proud good looks that had melted so many girls' hearts in his youth. Kaoru wondered how many more hearts
would melt in the future. She doubted that -- with Keisuke the up-and-coming navy officer -- there wouldn't be a few gaijin hearts in there somewhere.
"Kei-kun!" she said happily, hurrying toward him. As he beamed at her she rushed forward and threw her arms around him, feeling his own arms encircle her affectionately. Kaoru laid her ear against his chest and felt his heart beat beneath within, strong and clear and proud.
/He's all right./ Kaoru moved back and smiled up at him. /I'm so glad. He's fine./
"I'm glad you decided to come here. Your ship is leaving today, isn't it?"
Keisuke's smile was wide and genuine was ever, although Kaoru did not miss the slight shadow that darkened the brown eyes. "It's leaving in a few hours, actually. I'm on my way to the docks, but I thought I'd stop by for a minute first."
"I haven't heard anything from you in days. I've been worried." Kaoru eyed him with a frown.
He threw back his head and laughed. Kaoru savored the sound of his strong, hearty laugh. She had the feeling she wouldn't be hearing it for a long, long time.
"Domo, Kaoru. I got your message that night. I'm touched that you still care for me." Keisuke caught hold of her hand and squeezed it.
Something in his teasing voice made her glance up at him, but then the look in his eyes made her uncomfortable. Feeling heat rise to her cheeks, she averted her gaze.
Keisuke touched her cheek. "Daijoubu, Kaoru. I saw everything that night, anyway. I think I still know you enough" -- he met her sudden startled gaze evenly -- "to believe that you really do love that rurouni of yours that much."
Kaoru bit her lip and thought of Kenshin. "I do," she said softly. "In spite of everything, I really do."
Keisuke regarded her gravely. "I understand. I respect that love -- that love you both share. Others might disapprove, but I think he makes you happy, Kaoru. I think he'll make you happy for the rest of your life. And that's good enough for me."
Kaoru could not meet his gaze. "Gomen nasai, Kei-kun... datte--"
With a somber smile, Keisuke gently placed a finger on her lips. "Don't apologize, Kaoru. Don't ever apologize for what you feel. If anything, it is I who should apologize. I was a little bit blind and a great lot foolish not to have seen what should have been obvious from the start."
Kaoru smiled. "Don't say that. You weren't the only blind one around, ne, Kei-kun?"
They were still laughing when Keisuke seemed to remember something. As Kaoru watched curiously, he reached into his pack and pulled out something long and cylindrical, wrapped in special silver-lined paper. "Accept this humble gift with my thanks," he chuckled as he handed the object to her.
"Of course I will." Kaoru's reply was automatic as she hefted the object in her hands. It was light for its size, and as she tapped it there was a soft, muffled, hollow sound. "A painting?" she asked, looking up at him.
He nodded. "Aa. Consider it my wedding gift to you in advance." He laughed again as warm blood flooded her cheeks. "Kamiya-sensei, do you think I would be so thoughtless as to refuse you a gift for your wedding? I'm sure it isn't so far away." His eyes twinkled at her. "It isn't just decoration, either. It's to remind you that wherever I might be in this world, I'll always be there for you, Kaoru. If you
ever need anything, just call. Leave it to me to find you."
Kaoru looked up, rapt, into his shining dark eyes. She nodded, once, clutching the wrapped scroll tightly in her hand.
"That's it then. I'll be going. There, you see? I gave you a proper goodbye this time." Keisuke winked at her. "I'll miss you, and I'll miss this place. I'll miss those friends of yours too. I'll be back to visit as soon as I can."
"You better," said Kaoru with a grin. "And maybe next time, you'll bring a girl with you. Maybe even a wife, Kei-kun."
He looked at her then, with a funny mix in his eyes of amusement, regret, hope, disappointment, resignation, love,and longing, and Kaoru felt her throat tighten with tears. Wordlessly she ran toward him and felt herself caught up in a tight hug. Sighing contentedly, she heard, once again, the steady, strong beat of Keisuke's heart. She smiled.
/He'll be fine./
Kaoru took a step backward from the wall, peered at it critically, and shook her head. After one last adjustment she stepped back again and eyed her work with an air of satisfaction.
"A good picture," commented a gentle voice behind her.
"Kenshin." After months of his presence Kaoru had finally gotten used to him prowling the house late at night in veritable silence; the hitokiri's stealth skills were still sharp. She turned to him with a smile. "It's Keisuke's gift."
"It's nice." Kenshin moved to stand beside her, looking at the wall hanging with an appreciative eye. The lamp in the corner threw bright yellow light on the painting. "Two ships, side by side. One is a traditional vessel, made of silken sails and wood, and the other a new steam-driven ship. Both fly the Japanese flag. Together they sail through choppy waters, toward the clearer weather on the horizon."
Kaoru laughed. "That's a lot more poetic than what I was thinking, but I guess -- if you get down to it -- it's about the same."
Kenshin smiled, but it was obvious that something else was on his mind. "So Niimi-san went back to his ship this afternoon," he murmured.
"Hai." She followed him as he walked out onto the porch.
Clouds raced across the sky, their fleecy gray shapes barely discernible against the evening darkness. There would be rain in the morning, the chill, prickling rain of autumn. Kaoru watched Kenshin stride out to the edge of the porch, looking out over the moonlit yard.
"I don't want to worry you," began Kenshin quietly, "but there is something I would like to ask you, if you don't mind."
Always polite. Unfailingly considerate. Kaoru shook her head. "Kenshin, you don't have to worry about worrying me. I'd prefer that you say it out loud instead of keeping it to yourself."
Despite her protest, he was silent for many minutes, watching the bamboo pump slump back and forth in the pond.
"I was wondering," he said, softly, "if you had any regrets."
"Kenshin." Kaoru laid a hand on his shoulder, in reproach as well as comfort. "You ought to know me better than that."
A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips. "I felt that that would be the answer," he said, glancing at her, "but -- I didn't dare to hope."
"Baka," she promptly said, tweaking his ear so that he yelped. "You 'don't dare to hope' way too much. You should trust me more. And treat yourself better."
His smile was real this time. "Hearing it from you, Kaoru-dono, I suppose I should take it to heart now."
"Well, I'm glad to see you're finally making sense." Her sharp tones quickly softened. "Kenshin... Keisuke isn't the one I want. It isn't healthy to keep looking to the past. You know that too, ne?" Kaoru met his gaze seriously. "I won't look back now. I have you. And with you, I'll keep looking to the future, to what it has in store for both of us."
Her voice turned playful. "Besides, marrying Keisuke would have meant giving up the dojo and moving all the way to Yokohama. And you know I could never give up this place."
A chill wind gusted through the yard, and Kaoru shivered involuntarily in her thin yukata.
"You're cold, Kaoru-dono." Kaoru froze in surprise, staring wide-eyed, as Kenshin shrugged out of his gi and placed it gently over her shoulders. "Here, wear this-- to keep you warm..."
Kenshin's strong, lean arms slid over her own with the last words, and Kaoru shivered again, though not with the cold this time. She felt him lay his cheek against hers, cool against her warm flesh, and cuddled his arms against her with a sigh. He responded by twining their fingers together -- his motion so delicate, his touch so light, that little currents of heat passed up and down her back. Without thinking,
she purred, deep in her throat.
Kenshin pulled slightly back and faced her with amused purple eyes. "You like that?"
"Mmmm." Kaoru smiled and lay her head on his shoulder. "Very much. Ne, Kenshin... We haven't been this close since that night. I was starting to miss it."
As Kaoru spoke, the boldness unfamiliar to her, she felt embarrassment warm her face. But Kenshin's low, husky, infinitely masculine chuckle more than made up for it. She smiled shakily, and then the smile wavered and disappeared as Kenshin whispered, his hot
breath tickling her ear, "Ai shiteru, Kaoru-dono."
Tears misted her eyes. Her grasp tightened on his fingers. "Say it again," she murmured.
He pressed a kiss to the softness below her ear, in wordless apology for his earlier silence, wordless promise for rectification. "Ai shiteru."
Kaoru shivered. "Kenshin..." Her hands crept up his arms, running across bare, smooth skin, taut muscles.
"I love you too. I..."
He kissed her again. On her open mouth. After long moments, Kaoru broke the contact, staring up at him with heavy-lidded blue eyes, flushed, breathless. Her fingers traced feather-light patterns on his cheek.
"I love..."
Kenshin's lips marked a path from her palm, to her wrist, lingering hotly down her arm, to place a final kiss in her elbow. She drew in a shuddering breath, gently pushed away the fiery hair from his fiery eyes.
"I love you..."
The rain began to fall, spotting the ground in countless dark pinpricks of wetness, raising from the hot earth a sweet, green smell. The wind was cold and brisk as it shook leaves from the trees, eventually driving the two inside into the warmth of the house.
Overhead, the moon was full and bright, and even the fine rainclouds that skittered over it were not enough to hide away its silver light completely.
~ owari ~
It's over, finally. This was quite a long chapter but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for a tenth part. I hope I tied the loose ends together neatly... This last bit took a bit more to start, but once it began it sort of got a spirit of its own, moving toward completion all by itself.
I hope the last WAFFy bit was all right. It's one o'clock already and my eyes are starting to shut. Too bad I haven't got a Kenshin around to keep me awake. ^.^x
To all who read and all who reviewed (as of 12 April 2004) --thank you so much for reading!
babeekoko - haha! thanks for the chapter-by-chapter review! it was so much fun to read them... like i was reading right along with you and sympathizing with everything you felt. i'm happy to have pleased you. ^.^ (gee, i sound like a waiter at a restaurant...)
Aimi-chan - thank you! emotions do seem to be my forte... on the other hand, i do pretty badly with plot and humor. so you see, cosmic balance. ^.^
ixchen - heh-heh. a little suspense never hurt anyone. thanks for the review. ^.^
DragonLoki - glad you liked it! hmm, i don't know about a sequel though. just lemme finish this other one that's still on the burner and then i will consider things properly. ^.~
blahblahHOBO - hee hee! did you get your answer?
Kiwifroot - cute name! and thanks for the open-minded suggestion. see DragonLoki above ^.~
CrismHeart - heh... *scratches head* thanks, thanks. i think i do romance so that i get a vicarious love life of my own. ^.~ don't worry, i'm loyal too... as you saw!
Merlynne - i like your term-- "fabulously indulgent." yes, that does seem to be the kind of story this is, ne? ^.^ very belatedly, the glossaries are now up per chapter. i'm glad you were able to "lose yourself" in the story: i also thoroughly enjoy it when that happens to me, so i sought to do my readers the same service. and as for more k/k-- you might want to check out my latest k/k, a oneshot entitled "Morning After," also on FFnet. ^.^
ChiisaiLammy - welcome, welcome to my humble little fic! i've fixed the format (at long last!), still in time i hope to facilitate your reading. i have to admit it's kind of a been-done story (even the kind people at KFFDiscML said so... ^.^;) but i hope i still managed to put an original spin on it. ^.^