Silent Hearts:
Chapter Eight: Sweet Tenderness
"The dojo's..on fire!" Yahiko said panting for breath.
"What?!" Kaoru screamed as they all started running back to the dojo.
"Yeah. I don't know how it happened, but the whole training hall is on fire! There's a bunch of people there trying to put it out. It took me forever to find you." Yahiko said trying his hardest to keep up to Kenshin and Kaoru's pace.
After a few frantic minutes they approached the dojo. There was a big crowd of people all gathered in the yard, some holding buckets of water, and some just standing around. Everything seemed to be over though, for there was no sign of any visible flames, only a thick smoke that billowed out from the charred remains of the training hall. As soon as Kenshin and Kaoru arrived the people began to clear out leaving them alone to the devastation.
Kaoru stared in unbelief at the ashes. Only the main part of the house, the part in which they lived, remained. In denial she collapsed onto her knees on the dusty ground and began to cry frustrated tears.
"Why did this have to happen?! This was all I had left of my father!" Kaoru screamed as she got up and started to kick anything nearby, smashing anything in her path.
Kenshin came up silently behind her and wrapped his arms around her, restraining her against his body. "Calm down, we can rebuild it." Kenshin said, trying to soothe her before she hurt herself, but it just made Kaoru struggle even more.
"With what money?!" She yelled. She jerked viciously to get out of Kenshin's arms, trying her hardest to break away from him, but she was unable to move once he tightened his grip on her.
Eventually Kaoru tired herself out and reluctantly accepted the truth. Slowly she slumped against him, her back against his chest, his chin resting on her shoulder and his arms encircling her slim waist.
"This can't be happening, Kenshin. This can't be true." She whispered softly, so that he could barely catch her words.
"I would like to tell you that this was all a dream, that none of this had ever happened, but I can't. I won't lie to you. I cannot do that, but what I can do is tell you that as long as you are with me I'll protect you. You don't have to worry. We'll get through this all." He said tenderly, his voice trembling slightly.
They stood in silence for a long time, saying nothing just staring at the ashes, holding onto each other. Yahiko tossed frequent disturbed glances at them, but they didn't care. Eventually, he shook his head and slipped away, slight perturbed by their strange behavior.
And they were alone again. Kenshin didn't want to release her from his embrace afraid that if he did he would never hold her again.
"I think I'll get a job." Kenshin said disturbing the still silence after many moments of deep thought.
Kaoru was astonished by his words. "What?!"
"I'll get a job to help you pay for the rebuilding." Kenshin said as he slowly released her and walked a few steps away.
Kaoru shivered, from the absence of his warmth. "I can't let you do that."
"I insist, Miss Kaoru. It's time I start earning my keep around here. I owe it to you for letting me stay here at the dojo for so long." Kenshin said turning so that his back was facing her.
Kaoru clutched her hands tightly to hold back more tears. "But you already have! You help a lot around here and not just with the chores. You've saved my life and the lives of countless others many times. If anyone owes anything, it's me."
"Please, let me do this for you, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin said, his voice etched with pleading.
"Why do you want to do this for me?" Kaoru asked her heart beating a little faster.
Kenshin turned around to face her, quickly getting rid of the distance between them. He brought his arms up to grip her shoulders tightly in his hands and his gaze turned fiery and intense.
"Because, Miss Kaoru, I am in love with you! I want to do something for you so you'll be happy! I want to be able to call you just Kaoru! I've always hated calling you Miss Kaoru because it always reminded of what I could never have, but I forced myself to call you it. I could never hope that one day you would be mine. I..I..could barely stand to think that someone...someone like Yukimura..would take you away from me." He said his voice full of conflicting emotion.
Kaoru's heart froze at those words, her throat constricting roughly so she could not respond with anything other than a stutter. She couldn't believe her ears. Had he just said that he was in love with her?! She couldn't move, she couldn't think, she couldn't even breathe. She wanted so bad to tell him how much she loved him too, but for some reason nothing would come out.
Kenshin watched the emotions play over her face and he suddenly realized what he had just done. Slowly he let go of her and drew away, his hands lying limp at his sides and his head hung low.
"I'm sorry..I shouldn't have said that..Miss Kaoru.." Kenshin said his long red bangs shadowing his face. He expected her to leave, in his heart he could already feel the numbness of rejection, but he jumped when he felt her warm hand brush the hair from his face.
"I've been wanting to hear that for such a long time. I...I love you too!" Kaoru said throwing her arms around Kenshin, tears glistening in her eyes.
Kenshin was astonished by her reaction at first, but then his eyes softened to a warm glow and he gently held her in his arms. "But.but what about Yukimura?"
"I don't know what you thought about me and him, but I never even thought about him that way." Kaoru said reassuringly.
He looked down into her eyes, that glowed and shined as though cut out of lapis lazuli. As they stared at each other, Kaoru caught her breath noticing that only a couple inches separated Kenshin's face from her own. The tension that boiled rapidly in the air reached its climax. Slowly, as if to ask her permission, Kenshin brought his lips closer to hers, the space between them dwindling. Kaoru answered his hesitant question by bringing her lips to meet his in a soft kiss.
Kaoru melted into him, totally swept away by his taste and his scent which seemed to totally engulf her. She felt an insuppressible need to be closer to him, to feel his skin against her skin, to make his body part of hers. She pressed herself against him trying to supply the unquenchable thirst, but she simply hungered for more.
After what Kaoru thought to be much too soon a time they broke the kiss and Kenshin caressed her face with a sweet tenderness that sent shivers down her spine. His fingers moved lovingly over her smooth cheeks, that flushed slightly under his touch, to her small delicate nose, and slowly down to her sweet moist lips. He paused there for a moment, but then moved to lightly trace the line of her chin.
Kaoru trembled under his sweet touch, her whole body shaking violently. Kenshin's eyes grew worried as he stared down at her pale shaking face.
"Promise me you won't ever leave again!" Kaoru said, the hand that she was gripping his gi with tightening.
"I swear to stay with you forever." Kenshin said as he leaned down to her face once again, kissing her with even more passion. Fervently he eased his lips over hers, feeling a gnawing pain and growing lust deep inside him to break his boundaries and continue beyond more than just kisses and simple touches.
As he slowly and unwillingly pulled away, they both gasped for breath, still caught up in the heat of the kiss. When he finally managed to catch his breath he bent down to whisper feverishly into her ear.
"Will you-- " he began to ask her a question, but again his words were interrupted by a shout and footsteps. Kenshin quickly stepped away from Kaoru and turned to see Megumi and Sano walking up.
~Sorry about interrupting them AGAIN. It annoys me too, but I don't want things to happen too fast or else my story will end. *cries* I'm having too much fun writing this! ~
Chapter Eight: Sweet Tenderness
"The dojo's..on fire!" Yahiko said panting for breath.
"What?!" Kaoru screamed as they all started running back to the dojo.
"Yeah. I don't know how it happened, but the whole training hall is on fire! There's a bunch of people there trying to put it out. It took me forever to find you." Yahiko said trying his hardest to keep up to Kenshin and Kaoru's pace.
After a few frantic minutes they approached the dojo. There was a big crowd of people all gathered in the yard, some holding buckets of water, and some just standing around. Everything seemed to be over though, for there was no sign of any visible flames, only a thick smoke that billowed out from the charred remains of the training hall. As soon as Kenshin and Kaoru arrived the people began to clear out leaving them alone to the devastation.
Kaoru stared in unbelief at the ashes. Only the main part of the house, the part in which they lived, remained. In denial she collapsed onto her knees on the dusty ground and began to cry frustrated tears.
"Why did this have to happen?! This was all I had left of my father!" Kaoru screamed as she got up and started to kick anything nearby, smashing anything in her path.
Kenshin came up silently behind her and wrapped his arms around her, restraining her against his body. "Calm down, we can rebuild it." Kenshin said, trying to soothe her before she hurt herself, but it just made Kaoru struggle even more.
"With what money?!" She yelled. She jerked viciously to get out of Kenshin's arms, trying her hardest to break away from him, but she was unable to move once he tightened his grip on her.
Eventually Kaoru tired herself out and reluctantly accepted the truth. Slowly she slumped against him, her back against his chest, his chin resting on her shoulder and his arms encircling her slim waist.
"This can't be happening, Kenshin. This can't be true." She whispered softly, so that he could barely catch her words.
"I would like to tell you that this was all a dream, that none of this had ever happened, but I can't. I won't lie to you. I cannot do that, but what I can do is tell you that as long as you are with me I'll protect you. You don't have to worry. We'll get through this all." He said tenderly, his voice trembling slightly.
They stood in silence for a long time, saying nothing just staring at the ashes, holding onto each other. Yahiko tossed frequent disturbed glances at them, but they didn't care. Eventually, he shook his head and slipped away, slight perturbed by their strange behavior.
And they were alone again. Kenshin didn't want to release her from his embrace afraid that if he did he would never hold her again.
"I think I'll get a job." Kenshin said disturbing the still silence after many moments of deep thought.
Kaoru was astonished by his words. "What?!"
"I'll get a job to help you pay for the rebuilding." Kenshin said as he slowly released her and walked a few steps away.
Kaoru shivered, from the absence of his warmth. "I can't let you do that."
"I insist, Miss Kaoru. It's time I start earning my keep around here. I owe it to you for letting me stay here at the dojo for so long." Kenshin said turning so that his back was facing her.
Kaoru clutched her hands tightly to hold back more tears. "But you already have! You help a lot around here and not just with the chores. You've saved my life and the lives of countless others many times. If anyone owes anything, it's me."
"Please, let me do this for you, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin said, his voice etched with pleading.
"Why do you want to do this for me?" Kaoru asked her heart beating a little faster.
Kenshin turned around to face her, quickly getting rid of the distance between them. He brought his arms up to grip her shoulders tightly in his hands and his gaze turned fiery and intense.
"Because, Miss Kaoru, I am in love with you! I want to do something for you so you'll be happy! I want to be able to call you just Kaoru! I've always hated calling you Miss Kaoru because it always reminded of what I could never have, but I forced myself to call you it. I could never hope that one day you would be mine. I..I..could barely stand to think that someone...someone like Yukimura..would take you away from me." He said his voice full of conflicting emotion.
Kaoru's heart froze at those words, her throat constricting roughly so she could not respond with anything other than a stutter. She couldn't believe her ears. Had he just said that he was in love with her?! She couldn't move, she couldn't think, she couldn't even breathe. She wanted so bad to tell him how much she loved him too, but for some reason nothing would come out.
Kenshin watched the emotions play over her face and he suddenly realized what he had just done. Slowly he let go of her and drew away, his hands lying limp at his sides and his head hung low.
"I'm sorry..I shouldn't have said that..Miss Kaoru.." Kenshin said his long red bangs shadowing his face. He expected her to leave, in his heart he could already feel the numbness of rejection, but he jumped when he felt her warm hand brush the hair from his face.
"I've been wanting to hear that for such a long time. I...I love you too!" Kaoru said throwing her arms around Kenshin, tears glistening in her eyes.
Kenshin was astonished by her reaction at first, but then his eyes softened to a warm glow and he gently held her in his arms. "But.but what about Yukimura?"
"I don't know what you thought about me and him, but I never even thought about him that way." Kaoru said reassuringly.
He looked down into her eyes, that glowed and shined as though cut out of lapis lazuli. As they stared at each other, Kaoru caught her breath noticing that only a couple inches separated Kenshin's face from her own. The tension that boiled rapidly in the air reached its climax. Slowly, as if to ask her permission, Kenshin brought his lips closer to hers, the space between them dwindling. Kaoru answered his hesitant question by bringing her lips to meet his in a soft kiss.
Kaoru melted into him, totally swept away by his taste and his scent which seemed to totally engulf her. She felt an insuppressible need to be closer to him, to feel his skin against her skin, to make his body part of hers. She pressed herself against him trying to supply the unquenchable thirst, but she simply hungered for more.
After what Kaoru thought to be much too soon a time they broke the kiss and Kenshin caressed her face with a sweet tenderness that sent shivers down her spine. His fingers moved lovingly over her smooth cheeks, that flushed slightly under his touch, to her small delicate nose, and slowly down to her sweet moist lips. He paused there for a moment, but then moved to lightly trace the line of her chin.
Kaoru trembled under his sweet touch, her whole body shaking violently. Kenshin's eyes grew worried as he stared down at her pale shaking face.
"Promise me you won't ever leave again!" Kaoru said, the hand that she was gripping his gi with tightening.
"I swear to stay with you forever." Kenshin said as he leaned down to her face once again, kissing her with even more passion. Fervently he eased his lips over hers, feeling a gnawing pain and growing lust deep inside him to break his boundaries and continue beyond more than just kisses and simple touches.
As he slowly and unwillingly pulled away, they both gasped for breath, still caught up in the heat of the kiss. When he finally managed to catch his breath he bent down to whisper feverishly into her ear.
"Will you-- " he began to ask her a question, but again his words were interrupted by a shout and footsteps. Kenshin quickly stepped away from Kaoru and turned to see Megumi and Sano walking up.
~Sorry about interrupting them AGAIN. It annoys me too, but I don't want things to happen too fast or else my story will end. *cries* I'm having too much fun writing this! ~