Title: Locked
Author: Ty
Chapter: 3; conclusion
Disclaimer: I do not and most probably will never own Rurouni Kenshin. Much more talented and rich people do.
AN: I have no excuse for this being so late except that after two chapters I got so stuck that I couldn't even write a paragraph without getting very mad, balling it up, and setting ablaze with a nearby candle. I hope that this is an adequate conclusion to my story and that those very few who actually liked this monstrosity enjoy it. Thank you to those who reviewed and to those lovely lurkers who really just did not feel like reviewing. The fact that you even read it in the first place makes me want to dance with joy, walk on clouds, and sing many renditions of "We're Off To See The Wizard."
Locked: Chapter 3
She stifled her tears until she made it to her room. Her room—it had become her sanctuary. She'd cried in that room often since her father died; the room that knew all her secrets. It heard her cry out in her sleep when she had nightmares. It also knew of something else—something deeper: her love for Kenshin. Kaoru imagined that if it could talk back, it would have wonderful advice that would soothe her soul. But it couldn't and all she heard were the echoes of her sobs.
Another person heard her sobs too, but was lost as to how to make them stop. No—that was a lie. He knew how to make them stop. But he had been in denial so long that it was hard to finally admit his feelings. Long had he kept them a secret and long had he thought them unreciprocated. The question that burned in his mind as he stood outside Kaoru's bedroom was how he would go about telling her. He had hurt her deeply and Kenshin was unsure if she would accept his love for what it was and not something she had made up in her mind about him loving her as a sister. His love for her was as a man loved a woman—and what a woman she was!
No! No time for those thoughts, thought Kenshin. She's in there crying her eyes out and you act like a walking hormone!
He turned away from the door of her room and went to the kitchen. He looked around and an idea struck him. Tea! He should make tea. It would soothe her enough so he could talk to her. He set about making the tea. When it was finished, he put it on a pray and carried it to Kaoru's room.
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Kaoru jerked her head toward the door as someone knocked. She had an idea who it was and responded by shouting, "Go away!" She didn't think she could take another "Miss Kaoru" today.
The knocker was persistent and knocked again. She sighed and wiped her eyes. She stood up and walked over to the door. When she slid it open she saw Kenshin with a tea tray and a nervous expression.
"Yes, Kenshin?" she asked blankly.
" I made some tea and I wanted to know if you would share it with me," he said in a hopeful tone, which paired with his nervous expression was slightly comical.
This, of course, was the last thing she wanted to do—the first being mope over her unreciprocated love—but she nodded anyway and motioned him into her room.
She sat and waited as he set up the tea and rook the cup from him when he offered. Kaoru had a feeling this wasn't going to be tea as normal so she kept silent. Kenshin looked ready to say something but apparently kept changing his mind. After five minutes of this, he sighed and looked at her.
"Miss Kaoru," he started, "I want to explain something to you, but I will not be able to if you ask questions in the middle, that I will not. So, if you listen to what I say first, I will try my best not to take up too much of your time."
He seemed to be gathering all of the courage he could and she could do nothing but nod. He took a deep breath and let all of his feelings flow into his next words.
"For so long, I was alone. I taught myself to hide my emotions so my enemy couldn't read me as well as I could them. I had no reasons to let my emotions be known. I did this so long that it became second nature for me to act indifferent. But now as I see the tear marks on your face and the sorrow in your eyes, I see that I have unknowingly hurt you and I told myself I would never do that. I've told myself a lot of things over the years but the biggest lie was that I did not love you."
Here he stopped to gather his thoughts to try to justify his actions but could find no excuse. As he looked ay her, she started to cry again. His desperation to stop her tears pushed him forward into the rest of his speech.
"I have no excuse for my actions and I can understand if you do not wish to return this unworthy one's love—"
He was cut off abruptly as Kaoru launched herself across the tea tray and hugged him while crying and laughing at the same time. She pulled back from the hug, her arms still around his neck.
"Kenshin no baka!" she laughed, her tears finally drying up.
Kenshin murmured a soft "Oro!" but smiled as he looked into her eyes. He saw that her eyes were glowing, not from tears as they were before, but with love for him.
"I love you too, my silly rurouni," Kaoru said and that's when she knew that her heart had only remained locked until Kenshin found the key.
THE END!
AN2: I have noticed my complete lack of being able to write long fics. They seem long when I wrote them out on paper but my deceptively huge writing always makes it shorter. Grr.
Anyway, I finished this thing—finally—and I wish to know what you think. Please leave a review (or a flame…) or not or whatever. Thanks!
Ty a.k.a. OroChick