Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the lack of updating on this story. I was so blocked for a while, I had it written out and I lost the outline and then I couldn't get any inspiration and its just been bad. Hope it was worth the wait though!
" ___ " Speaking
[ ___ ] Thoughts
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"May we be excused?" Kaoru patiently waited for her aunt to reply.
Keeping her hands behind her dress, she crossed her fingers, hoping she'd say yes and relieve them of their suffering. Aiko seemed to notice their restlessness over the past couple of hours and nodded in her direction.
"Thank you, " Kaoru curtsied politely towards their guests and was relieved when she and Yahiko reached the doorway. Exiting quickly, they ran outside and took deep breaths of the fresh air as they headed towards the stables.
"Its so boring in there!" Yahiko climbed on top of one of the stalls and smiled at the horse inside. "You sure are lucky, all you do is run and eat and sleep."
"He must get bored," Kaoru frowned up at him, "How many times have I told you not to climb onto his stall? He doesn't like you!"
"He won't do anything!" Yahiko laughed and kicked his legs back and forth. But just as he did so, the horse turned towards him and reared back, kicking its forelegs toward him.
With a startled cry, Yahiko leaned back and fell off the stall and into a large pile of hay beside it. Kaoru burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of him sprawled out and covered in hay, scowling up at her angrily. "Shut up ugly!"
"Now Yahiko, that's no way to speak to a young lady." Emerson, the head groom came over and helped him up.
"She's not a young lady, she's just a girl," Yahiko mumbled, wiping straws out of his hair and from his clothes.
"Kaoru certainly IS a young lady," Kenshin's voice sounded from the door to the stables and they turned to see him dismounting from his destrier. "At her age, she must begin to act properly, not that she does."
"Ken-ii!" Kaoru ran up and hugged him, "I'm so glad you're here! But what are you doing home?"
"I'm home on a short vacation," he smiled, feeling a twinge of remorse at the small lie.
"Magnifique!" Kaoru took hold of his hand and began walking towards the house with him, ignoring Yahiko who followed behind glaring at her, or rather, at HIM. To anyone who looked on, the love shinning in Kaoru's eyes when she looked at Kenshin was childish admiration, but Yahiko knew better, he knew what her dream in life was - to marry her dear Ken-ii.
[She always forgets about everyone else when he shows up!] Yahiko sighed and knowing he wouldn't be missed, turned and headed towards their playhouse by the lake.
"I've also brought you a surprise," Kenshin continued, "You remember my friend Tomoe that I've mentioned so many times?"
"Of course, how could I forget?" Kaoru's smile dimmed a bit at his mentioning the girl he'd known all his life. "What about her?"
"Well... she's here," Kenshin watched her closely, surprised to see her frown slightly before smiling. "You don't want to meet her?"
"Oui, bien sûr," Kaoru looked down at her dress and was relieved that she hadn't sat on anything dirty.
[What could this be about?] Kenshin wondered, knowing that Kaoru only reverted back to speaking french when extremely excited or insecure about something. He slipped his arm around her shoulders to give her a comforting squeeze and led her into the house. "Where's Yahiko?"
Kaoru shrugged, "He probably didn't want to come back to the house so soon, since aunt Aiko had us cooped up and listening to her speaking to her friends for hours already."
Reaching the stairs, they were greeted at the bottom by Daren and a young lady who could be no one other than Tomoe. Kaoru looked her over carefully, feeling a sense of dread fill her as she realized that everything Kenshin had said about her was true. Standing in a light blue dress of the latest fashion, with her petite shoulders raised in obviously natural poise, skin soft and creamy, she made Kaoru feel suddenly very childish and young.
"Ah here you are! Kaoru come meet Tomoe," Daren smiled at her as she nodded politely at the older girl.
"Its a pleasure to meet you," Kaoru forced herself to say.
"The pleasure's all mine. You know, Ken-ii had mentioned that you were pretty, but I think he didn't quite gives you enough credit my dear. You are going to take the ton by storm when you reach your eighteenth year." Tomoe smiled back.
"Merci," Kaoru looked up towards Daren, suddenly seeming to remember something, "May I go look for Yahiko? Its getting dark outside and I wouldn't want him to catch cold."
"Of course my dear, run along now, Tomoe will be here for the next two weeks so you'll have time to chat." Daren dismissed her and motioned for the young couple to join him in his office. "We'll be safe from Aiko's lady friends while they leave in here."
Tomoe giggled softly and took the seat he offered, motioning for Kenshin to sit beside her.
~
"What's the matter with you?" Yahiko watched her throw rocks into the lake angrily.
"She called him Ken-ii! Can you believe it! The NERVE! And right in front of me! That..." Kaoru continued her litany, speaking in French again to release her anger. "Ken-ii est MON cousin!"
"Will you stop speaking in french? I can't follow when you speak so fast, remember?" Yahiko interrupted, looking up at the moon and stars. "Its pretty late now, shouldn't we be inside?"
Kagome stopped, half bent towards the ground, remembering she'd told them she was going to bring Yahiko back inside. "We were supposed to be inside a while ago."
She stood and wiped her hands together, trying to rid them of the dirt. Following Yahiko up to the house, they weren't surprised to find Tae there waiting to scold them for being out late without a coat. "Sorry," Kaoru wiped her feet and headed up to her room.
"Dinner will be served in twenty minutes so you'd better change," Tae huffed and went back to the kitchen as a commotion was hear.
"I don't feel like eating en famille tonight," Kaoru mumbled closing the door behind her. After washing her hands in the basin on her nightstand, she went over to her bed, grabbed the stuffed dog on it and curled up, quickly falling asleep.
About ten minutes later a knock sounded on her door and Kenshin poked his head in, surprised to see her sleeping already. [I guess she must have been pretty tired if she fell asleep so early.] Going over to the bed, he smiled at the sight of her curled up and hugging the toy dog he'd given her for her birthday in december two years ago.
Gently removing her shoes, he lifted her into his arms, hushing her sleepy protests and moving back the covers to tuck her into them. Kaoru's eyes opened as he tucked them around her, and she smiled sleepily at him, "Merci Ken-ii."
"You're welcome," he kissed her forehead and watched her go back to sleep, dimming the light beside her bed before he went out.
When he reached the dinning room, he explained to everyone that Kaoru had fallen asleep and would not be dinning with them that night. Aiko's eyes dimmed a bit, "And we did so want Tomoe's first night here to be nice."
"Don't worry, I understand," Tomoe sat down beside Kenshin and smiled at the little boy beside Aiko. "Is anything the matter Yahiko?"
"You're sitting in her chair," the little boy informed her. "Kaoru always sits between Daren and Kenshin, she won't like to hear someone else took her place."
"Yahiko!" Aiko turned wide eyes to the little boy, surprised by his words, "I'm sure Kaoru won't mind Tomoe sitting there. It is, after all, only a chair and not of any significance."
Yahiko nodded, knowing better than to argue with one of his elders. [I wonder how Kaoru will really react.] He remained silent during the rest of the meal, watching their guest and deciding that he didn't like her much.
~
Much to his relief, he wasn't alone in his opinion. Despite the fact that everyone else adored the lovely Miss Tomoe, neither Kaoru nor Yahiko could stand her, making it obvious in their withdrawal from the family's activities. If Kenshin and Tomoe went to visit Hiko-chan, the kids would hide until they were gone or make up some type of assignment and work on that until they left. If Tomoe and Aiko went shopping or to visit another neighbor, Kaoru made sure not to be around so as not to be dragged off with them.
She was rarely seen in the house, which was uncommon since she had always practiced her piano daily. The sweet music was hardly heard anymore, and if she did play, it was only at times when she knew Tomoe would not hear her. Tae had given them both a good scolding, telling them they had to behave nicely towards their company, but to her further annoyance, they did.
Both Kaoru and Yahiko were perfectly polite and respectful when having to deal with Tomoe. Since she was always with somone, be it Kenshin, Aiko or Daren, they made sure to act nicely, smile, and give their excuses with a sweet tone of voice. Although inwardly they both seethed and wanted to run as far from the girl as they could get, they wouldn't dare do something to get Kenshin or his parents mad at them.
Although Kaoru was certainly mad at her cousin. During the month since Tomoe had been there, he'd been so caught up in entertaining his friend that he'd hardly paid attention to her. She'd been moved to the opposite side of the table, sitting next to Yahiko and with no one else beside her, Aiko hadn't remembered her weekly tea in the garden with her, Daren hadn't been riding with her, and worst of all, Kenshin hadn't tucked her in. During the year she'd been staying with them, he'd always tucked her into bed when he was home... until now.
The first few nights she'd attributed it to the fact that he was excited about his friend staying with them, but after she'd wasted ten candles in hopes he'd remember, she finally gave up and blew them out herself before going to bed, the book they'd been reading left discarded on her shelf instead of her nightstand.
One day, while Kaoru watched Emerson struggling to break in the new horse, whom she'd decided to name Draco, she was surprised to hear a familiar voice speak to her. She turned to find Tomoe standing beside the wooden fence she was sitting on and asked her to repeat her question.
"I said he's beautiful, isn't he?" Tomoe asked again, watching the young girl closely.
"Of course he is, he's wild," Kaoru turned back and watched the horse intently, "He was found out in the forest and they don't think he's been owned before. He had no shoes or anything so show that another person had owned him before to his capture. Not to mention how mean he is."
"You seem to know a lot about him," Tomoe smiled.
Kaoru shrugged, "Was there anything I could help you with?"
"No, I was just hoping we could talk," Tomoe watched for a reaction, "I've been here a month and we have yet to have a full one-on-one conversation."
"We just had it," Kaoru mumbled, leaning back a little as the horse turned towards her. He was angry, she could tell. He'd been let out of his stall in the fenced area so he could get some excercise, but it was too small. He needed more room, or more accurately, he needed to run freely, not be tied up.
"You should get down, he doesn't look too happy to see you there," Tomoe tugged at her sleeve lightly. "Come along Kaoru."
She pulled her sleeve away and threw her head back, defiantly looking the horse in the eye, "I'm not afraid. Draco won't hurt me, I've stayed with him before."
The animal started walking towards them, then running. Kaoru could hear Emerson yelling at her to move, Tomoe behind her was pulling at her dress, but she held on and leaned forward, refusing to move. The horse drew closer and was about to reach her side when she was snatched off the rail roughly, a familiar voice yelling at her.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?! That horse is dangerous Kaoru! He could have killed you!" Kenshin set her on the ground and turned her to face him, shaking her shoulders a bit. "I've told you not to go near that animal yet both you and Yahiko insist on coming to see it!"
"Because he's not..." Kaoru began to fight argue, cut off by a wave of his hand.
"He IS dangerous, I helped catch him remember? I was here when he was put in his stall and saw his mad kicking. He dislocated Erick's shoulder, bruised one of Emerson's ribs and could have killed you right now! I won't have him here anymore!" Kenshin turned and bellowed for Emerson to get his rifle.
"NO!" Kaoru screamed, turning away from Kenshin and running to the opposite side of the fence where the door was. Throwing it open, Kaoru ran inside and stopped a few feet away from the horse, surprised to see it had followed her when she ran. She stood a mere yard away from him and could see his nose flaring angrily. As he reared back and kicked out with his legs, Kaoru heard everyone's shouts around them and closed her eyes when a hoof came surprisingly close to her.
Time seemed to stop for a second, Kaoru held her breath, waiting for the blow to come, and was surprised when she heard a loud thud and then, finally, felt something wet touching her. Opening her eyes to see a large mouth touching her forehead, she smiled and lifted her hand to stroke his cheek, stepping forward to hug Draco around his large neck.
Kenshin stood frozen at the door and watched her for a moment, petting the horse, cooing soothing words to him, nuzzling her cheek against his neck. The animal was twice her size, and yet as docile as a puppy. [Is this the same horse that has caused us so much trouble?] He sighed in relief watching her there with the animal. He could have sworn his heart stopped when it had reared back as if to strike.
Kaoru smiled and stepped away from the subdued stallion. Walking towards the gate, she wasn't surprised when he stayed by her side, following her past Kenshin and the rest of their stunned audience to his stall. After closing the door, she suddenly realized she was the center of attention and smiled bashfully, excusing herself before she turned and skipped towards the house.
"When did this happen?" Kenshin asked Emerson.
The head groom shrugged, "No idea, the miss hasn't been riding in weeks."
"She hasn't been riding?" Kenshin frowned, knowing it was one of her favorite activities.
Emerson shook his head, "She's come down to the stables for a few minutes at a time, but she hasn't been riding since the morning your friend arrived."
[Tomoe?] Kenshin watched her shake her head while watching Kaoru in the distance and frowned. Making his way over to her side, he offered his arm and began leading the way back inside. "What do you think of that? Not only a distinguished pianist, singer, and composer, she's a horse trainer as well."
"She's a musician?" Tomoe blinked, "You've mentioned it, but I don't believe I've ever heard her play anything."
Now that got Kenshin to stop in surprise, "You haven't heard her play? But surely that's a mistake, the house is always filled with music. She lives to compose."
Tomoe gave a dainty shrug, "I don't recall hearing any music since my arrival, besides at the dinners we've been to of course."
"Hmm... how very odd," Kenshin followed her to the house, hardly listening to her conversation while he thought back over the past month. [When was the last time I spent time with Kaoru?]
Relieved at Tae's informing them that lunch was to be served in the parlor, Kenshin excused himself from Tomoe and headed upstairs to wash up, stopping by Kaoru's room on his way down the hall. To his dismay, she wasn't there and so he hurriedly cleaned himself and headed back down to the parlor to join the family, grinning at the sound of Yahiko's excited voice.
"Can I please keep it? I promise to take very good care of it and not let it loose in the house," the little boy held a box with a toad inside, surrounded by some leaves and the lid of a large tin holding water for it. "See, his leg is hurt and someone needs to watch over him."
"Well..." Aiko smiled down into his begging eyes and nodded, "I agree that he needs watching over so you may keep him until his leg heals."
Yahiko's eyes widened, "Really?! Thank you so much!"
Sitting off to his side, Tomoe made a face and turned her head away when he walked by, hurrying to put the toad away before the meal began. "I must admit I admire your kindness in taking the boy in, after his being orphaned here and everything, but to allow him the priviliges of a noble is a bit much isn't it? The boy should be outside learning a good skill that will help him survive in the real world. And then to tolerate his bringing in such revolting creatures like that toad."
"He's not the only toad in this house," Kaoru's mumble did not go unnoticed by her cousin or uncle.
Aiko merely kept smiling and shook her head, "Yahiko is a part of this family Tomoe, he has every right to the treatment he gets, and his toad was quite lovely in comparison to the one Kenshin brought in."
"Now mother, Weasley was disabled," Kenshin smiled at the memory, "Remember he couldn't leap?"
Daren chuckled, "Remember who broke his legs?"
"Lunch is served," Tae had their food set out quickly, smiling at the memory of Kenshin's toad also.
"But still, I mean, the boy may feel like family but he's really not and the world won't forget that." Tomoe insisted, looking slightly sad and worried, "I don't think its fair to get his hopes up for something better."
"We're not..." Kenshin began to explain when a small voice from the doorway interrupted.
All eyes turned towards the little boy standing proudly in the doorway, "There is no need to worry, Miss Tomoe, I KNOW I am merely the son of a maid and a footman, but the Himura's have been kind enough to watch over me until I am old enough to earn my keep. I know this and don't look to being anything more."
Tomoe bit her lip, keeping her eyes downcast as a wave of regret rolled over her. [I shouldn't have spoken my mind out loud.]
"May I be excused," Kaoru set her napkin on the table, hands folded primly in her lap while she waited.
"No, Yahiko please take your seat," Daren watched to boy nod and walk straight-backed to his chair, using the best manners he'd seen the boy use. "We're lunching 'en famille' today and will retire to the music room afterwords to hear Kaoru play, and I want to hear nothing about this again, the topic is closed."
"Of course your grace," Tomoe slid teary eyes to Kenshin and was shocked to see him sitting stiffly beside her, anger evident in his posture. [I can't believe he's angry with me! Ken's never been angry with me before!] Looking to the children across from them, a confused look crossed her eyes as she watched them. Sure, they were both behaving as they should, but one was the son of servants and the other was a simple-minded little french girl, and everyone knew how boorish french people were.
As they finished their meal and stood, it was Kaoru who broke the silence, her soft voice reaching everyone. "I don't mean to upset you further Uncle Daren, but must I play? I'm not feeling up to the task."
Daren sighed, knowing she wanted to run away with Yahiko most likely and shook his head. "I haven't heard you in days, now I want to see where your practicing has gotten you."
To everyone's surprise, Kenshin spoke up also, "I'm sure we'd all love to hear Kaoru play but I just remembered Tomoe and I have an appointment to see the Rowlands in about half an hour and we need to change."
Kaoru kept her eyes locked on the ground a knot formed in her throat, growing tighter by the moment while he spoke. Daren began to argue when Tomoe cut in again. "But your grace, Kaoru did say she didn't feel up to it today, perhaps we should hold things off until tomorrow when she might feel more inspired?"
"Is this appointment really so important? It is just another social call which you could make tomorrow," Daren glared at his son.
"Its all right, I really don't feel like playing right now," Kaoru smiled at her uncle's good intentions, keeping her eyes from Kenshin on purpose.
"Actually, they must go, we meant to surprise you all but I suppose it was bound to be discovered." Aiko broke in, "Two days ago during our visit with Marie, we were discussing the possibilities of throwing a ball."
"A ball?" Kaoru's eyes lit up, smiling at Yahiko.
"No use in getting your hopes up sweeting, you aren't old enough yet to be there," Daren chuckled at her crestfallen expression. "Will the announcement be made that night?"
[Announcement?] Kaoru and Yahiko shared a confused look, which went unnoticed by the adults in the room.
"We thought it a good idea to celebrate both engagements at the same time," Kenshin smiled, "After all, I did grow up with Megumi and we both agree that it would be fun to announce our up-coming nuptuals together."
"That's just like you two," Daren smiled and nodded in agreement, "If it's what you want then get going, you have just enough time to change and head over."
"Wonderful, we're so excited!" Tomoe excused herself and headed towards her room, Aiko going up with her.
"Well, it looks like you're off the hook young lady," Daren turned his smile towards Kaoru and was surprised by her pallor. "Are you feeling all right dear?"
"Oui," Kaoru blinked, not noticing their worried expressions, "Je dois fais mes devoirs, excuse moi."
"Excuse me too," Yahiko followed her upstairs, knowing the girl was probably devastated. Reaching her room, he was surprised when she asked him to go away. "But you don't look so good Kaoru."
"I'll be fine," her voice cracked a bit and he could see her struggling to make her chin stop trembling, tears pooling in her eyes.
"I don't know about that," Yahiko insisted, voice softening as a tear slipped down her cheek, "You thought he'd wait for you, didn't you?"
Kaoru's eyes hardened and she turned to push him out of her room, "Just leave me alone Yahiko!"
The slamming of her door behind him made his anger snap. Running downstairs, he was just in time to see Kenshin help Tomoe into the carriage and quickened his strides. "You jerk!"
"Yahiko!" Aiko turned startled eyes towards the boy glowering at her son, "What is the matter with you?"
"I'M fine! Its Kaoru who's crying her heart out in her room!" Yahiko stood a couple of steps above Kenshin where he could stare him in the eyes.
"You know, I don't care that you didn't tell me, but Kaoru's a different story. For the past MONTH the girl's been hoping you'll remember that she's alive! You used to tuck her in at night and read those stupid books! You used to listen to her play and take her for picnics. Hell, you used to acknowledge when she was in the room!"
His enraged eyes filled with tears as he spoke, "You haven't even missed her have you? She got in trouble with Tae for wasting candles after leaving them on overnight in hopes you'd remember! You're her best friend Kenshin! No one can make her smile the way you can! When you're gone she sulks for a week and plays gloomy music! When your letters arrive she's the first one to open them! You're her Ken-ii and you're engaged and you couldn't bother to tell her yourself?!"
He glared at Tomoe also, angrily swiping at the tears that had spilled down his cheeks while he turned to glare at Kenshin again. "You forgot all about Kaoru when Tomoe arrived, and she's slowly been brushed aside by your fiancee more and more. First she uses Kaoru's nickname Ken-ii for you, then she takes her place at the table, and now she's taking you away permanently!"
He turned to glare at the girl watching from the carriage, "What next? Will we be living in the stables soon? Serving your food at the table? That is, after all, what I was born to do right? What would you have Kaoru do?"
A shocked gasp escaped the girl, who quickly looked to Kenshin to defend her, "Ken-ii?"
"Didn't you just hear me say you shouldn't call him that! He's not your cousin! He's your finacee!" Yahiko gave her one more glare and turned back to Kenshin, "You'd better apologize to Kaoru and don't mention my yelling at you! If you pretend to be interested in her she'll forget about everything."
His shoulders finally slumped, a hurt look coming into his eyes, "She always forgives YOU for everything."
Turning before he could reply, Yahiko ran back inside, slamming the door to his own room angrily.
~
"He's right," Kenshin felt a wave of guilt swamp him at the thought of Kaoru crying because of him. "Didn't Kaoru know I was engaged?"
Aiko and Daren shook their heads, realizing they'd been neglecting her as well. "We thought you'd told her yourself."
"The poor thing," Aiko looked at her son as he apologized to Tomoe.
"We'll have to postpone our visit with Megumi for tomorrow," He took her hand and helped her out of the carriage, frowning in annoyance at her slight pout.
"If we must," she sighed and excused herself, going up to her room to lie down for a bit.
Kenshin and his parents followed her inside, but he was the only one to go up to Kaoru's room. Standing outside her door, he felt his heart break at the sound of her muffled sobs, opening the door and stepping in quietly. Making his way over to the bed, he wasn't surprised to see the book they'd been reading was no longer on her nightstand. Kaoru lay on her side facing away from the door, hugging her dog and sobbing into her pillow.
"Please stop," Kenshin sat by her side, watching her sit up and turn wide, red-rimmed eyes towards him.
"Ken... *hiccup* ... Ken-ii?"
"Yeah," Kenshin gave a lopsided smile and wiped the tears from her cheeks, cupping her chin in his hands. "How many times has this happened lately?"
Karou frowned, "What?"
"How many times have I made you cry?" Kenshin watched her avert her eyes and shrug.
Her voice was soft and hurt as she spoke, "It doesn't really matter. I had gotten so used to depending on you, I forgot why I hadn't done it with anyone before I came."
She gave a wry smile, her eyes taking on that wisdom he'd seen before, the type that surpassed a girl of her years and made his anger at his family resurface. Her voice brought him back into focus, "Luckily I remember again, I can handle being ignored by you now."
Her shoulders slumped a bit as her eyes watched her hands, "Its just that I always thought you'd tell me you were getting married in a better way. Or at the very least that you'd tell me yourself."
"I'm so sorry Kaoru, I thought my parents had told you," Kenshin pulled her close, running a hand through her loose hair.
"I understand, you're engaged now, I can't expect you to have time for me and Yahiko anymore." She smiled a bit and sniffled, "You have to keep your fiancee happy right?"
"That doesn't mean I can just ignore you the way I have been, its just been strange trying to arrange things for the wedding and the reception and everything." Kenshin sighed and toyed with her hair, "I've been really busy, but that doesn't forgive my neglecting you lately, and its not even been just me has it?"
Kaoru shrugged, "You've all been busy and Yahiko and I are perfectly capable of watching out for ourselves. We've done well in our studies, we both passed the review exams we had last week and were given new books by professor Hayworth."
"And what about your music? Have you written anything lately?" Kenshin asked, not surprised to feel her shake her head.
Kaoru sighed, "I haven't had much time to practice or much inspiration."
"You're always inspired," Kenshin reminded her.
"Not lately," Kaoru shrugged and looked back up to her dear cousin, smiling to see him worrying about her. "I'm ok now Ken-ii, really, there's no need for you to feel so bad. I can't say I haven't missed you, I've missed you terribly, but I can get along on my own."
"I don't want you to," Kenshin insisted, hugging her closer to him, relieved to hear her giggle a little. "I'm sorry we've been preoccupied but I promise to make things better and not to ignore you anymore."
"Its all right," Kaoru hugged him back, breathing in the familiar scent of sandalwood and Kenshin which she'd come to love. [Just don't let go] Kaoru tightened her hold as a thought ran through her mind, her voice suddenly sad again. "Are you going to live in London now?"
"I'm afraid so," Kenshin sighed and moved back to lean against a bedpost, pulling her along with him so she lay across his lap, her head pillowed on his shoulder.
"Its so far away," Kaoru whispered, thinking of the week of traveling it took the last time they'd gone.
Kenshin nodded, hugging her a bit closer, "But I'll still see you."
"How often though?"
"I can't promise it'll be too often, at Christmas time and easter, probably a few weeks in the summer and a couple more times in between the holidays." Kenshin frowned, the idea of not seeing his lively little cousin suddenly making his excitement dim a bit. He'd always been a few hours ride away, coming home as often as possible, usually two to three times a month and spending the whole weekend with the family.
Kaoru nodded, tears forming in her eyes again, "I'm gonna miss you."
"We'll keep in touch, its not the end of the world," Kenshin tried to lighten the mood, forcing a bit of cheerfullness into his voice.
[Perhaps not yours] Kaoru nodded again, tears slipping silently down her cheeks as they sat there quietly. Each was lost in thought over their quickly changing future, a sense of foreboding going through both of them.
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Again, sorry for the long time without updates, hopefully I'll be getting a more steady rhythm going with this story. Thanks to all my readers!
" ___ " Speaking
[ ___ ] Thoughts
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"May we be excused?" Kaoru patiently waited for her aunt to reply.
Keeping her hands behind her dress, she crossed her fingers, hoping she'd say yes and relieve them of their suffering. Aiko seemed to notice their restlessness over the past couple of hours and nodded in her direction.
"Thank you, " Kaoru curtsied politely towards their guests and was relieved when she and Yahiko reached the doorway. Exiting quickly, they ran outside and took deep breaths of the fresh air as they headed towards the stables.
"Its so boring in there!" Yahiko climbed on top of one of the stalls and smiled at the horse inside. "You sure are lucky, all you do is run and eat and sleep."
"He must get bored," Kaoru frowned up at him, "How many times have I told you not to climb onto his stall? He doesn't like you!"
"He won't do anything!" Yahiko laughed and kicked his legs back and forth. But just as he did so, the horse turned towards him and reared back, kicking its forelegs toward him.
With a startled cry, Yahiko leaned back and fell off the stall and into a large pile of hay beside it. Kaoru burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of him sprawled out and covered in hay, scowling up at her angrily. "Shut up ugly!"
"Now Yahiko, that's no way to speak to a young lady." Emerson, the head groom came over and helped him up.
"She's not a young lady, she's just a girl," Yahiko mumbled, wiping straws out of his hair and from his clothes.
"Kaoru certainly IS a young lady," Kenshin's voice sounded from the door to the stables and they turned to see him dismounting from his destrier. "At her age, she must begin to act properly, not that she does."
"Ken-ii!" Kaoru ran up and hugged him, "I'm so glad you're here! But what are you doing home?"
"I'm home on a short vacation," he smiled, feeling a twinge of remorse at the small lie.
"Magnifique!" Kaoru took hold of his hand and began walking towards the house with him, ignoring Yahiko who followed behind glaring at her, or rather, at HIM. To anyone who looked on, the love shinning in Kaoru's eyes when she looked at Kenshin was childish admiration, but Yahiko knew better, he knew what her dream in life was - to marry her dear Ken-ii.
[She always forgets about everyone else when he shows up!] Yahiko sighed and knowing he wouldn't be missed, turned and headed towards their playhouse by the lake.
"I've also brought you a surprise," Kenshin continued, "You remember my friend Tomoe that I've mentioned so many times?"
"Of course, how could I forget?" Kaoru's smile dimmed a bit at his mentioning the girl he'd known all his life. "What about her?"
"Well... she's here," Kenshin watched her closely, surprised to see her frown slightly before smiling. "You don't want to meet her?"
"Oui, bien sûr," Kaoru looked down at her dress and was relieved that she hadn't sat on anything dirty.
[What could this be about?] Kenshin wondered, knowing that Kaoru only reverted back to speaking french when extremely excited or insecure about something. He slipped his arm around her shoulders to give her a comforting squeeze and led her into the house. "Where's Yahiko?"
Kaoru shrugged, "He probably didn't want to come back to the house so soon, since aunt Aiko had us cooped up and listening to her speaking to her friends for hours already."
Reaching the stairs, they were greeted at the bottom by Daren and a young lady who could be no one other than Tomoe. Kaoru looked her over carefully, feeling a sense of dread fill her as she realized that everything Kenshin had said about her was true. Standing in a light blue dress of the latest fashion, with her petite shoulders raised in obviously natural poise, skin soft and creamy, she made Kaoru feel suddenly very childish and young.
"Ah here you are! Kaoru come meet Tomoe," Daren smiled at her as she nodded politely at the older girl.
"Its a pleasure to meet you," Kaoru forced herself to say.
"The pleasure's all mine. You know, Ken-ii had mentioned that you were pretty, but I think he didn't quite gives you enough credit my dear. You are going to take the ton by storm when you reach your eighteenth year." Tomoe smiled back.
"Merci," Kaoru looked up towards Daren, suddenly seeming to remember something, "May I go look for Yahiko? Its getting dark outside and I wouldn't want him to catch cold."
"Of course my dear, run along now, Tomoe will be here for the next two weeks so you'll have time to chat." Daren dismissed her and motioned for the young couple to join him in his office. "We'll be safe from Aiko's lady friends while they leave in here."
Tomoe giggled softly and took the seat he offered, motioning for Kenshin to sit beside her.
~
"What's the matter with you?" Yahiko watched her throw rocks into the lake angrily.
"She called him Ken-ii! Can you believe it! The NERVE! And right in front of me! That..." Kaoru continued her litany, speaking in French again to release her anger. "Ken-ii est MON cousin!"
"Will you stop speaking in french? I can't follow when you speak so fast, remember?" Yahiko interrupted, looking up at the moon and stars. "Its pretty late now, shouldn't we be inside?"
Kagome stopped, half bent towards the ground, remembering she'd told them she was going to bring Yahiko back inside. "We were supposed to be inside a while ago."
She stood and wiped her hands together, trying to rid them of the dirt. Following Yahiko up to the house, they weren't surprised to find Tae there waiting to scold them for being out late without a coat. "Sorry," Kaoru wiped her feet and headed up to her room.
"Dinner will be served in twenty minutes so you'd better change," Tae huffed and went back to the kitchen as a commotion was hear.
"I don't feel like eating en famille tonight," Kaoru mumbled closing the door behind her. After washing her hands in the basin on her nightstand, she went over to her bed, grabbed the stuffed dog on it and curled up, quickly falling asleep.
About ten minutes later a knock sounded on her door and Kenshin poked his head in, surprised to see her sleeping already. [I guess she must have been pretty tired if she fell asleep so early.] Going over to the bed, he smiled at the sight of her curled up and hugging the toy dog he'd given her for her birthday in december two years ago.
Gently removing her shoes, he lifted her into his arms, hushing her sleepy protests and moving back the covers to tuck her into them. Kaoru's eyes opened as he tucked them around her, and she smiled sleepily at him, "Merci Ken-ii."
"You're welcome," he kissed her forehead and watched her go back to sleep, dimming the light beside her bed before he went out.
When he reached the dinning room, he explained to everyone that Kaoru had fallen asleep and would not be dinning with them that night. Aiko's eyes dimmed a bit, "And we did so want Tomoe's first night here to be nice."
"Don't worry, I understand," Tomoe sat down beside Kenshin and smiled at the little boy beside Aiko. "Is anything the matter Yahiko?"
"You're sitting in her chair," the little boy informed her. "Kaoru always sits between Daren and Kenshin, she won't like to hear someone else took her place."
"Yahiko!" Aiko turned wide eyes to the little boy, surprised by his words, "I'm sure Kaoru won't mind Tomoe sitting there. It is, after all, only a chair and not of any significance."
Yahiko nodded, knowing better than to argue with one of his elders. [I wonder how Kaoru will really react.] He remained silent during the rest of the meal, watching their guest and deciding that he didn't like her much.
~
Much to his relief, he wasn't alone in his opinion. Despite the fact that everyone else adored the lovely Miss Tomoe, neither Kaoru nor Yahiko could stand her, making it obvious in their withdrawal from the family's activities. If Kenshin and Tomoe went to visit Hiko-chan, the kids would hide until they were gone or make up some type of assignment and work on that until they left. If Tomoe and Aiko went shopping or to visit another neighbor, Kaoru made sure not to be around so as not to be dragged off with them.
She was rarely seen in the house, which was uncommon since she had always practiced her piano daily. The sweet music was hardly heard anymore, and if she did play, it was only at times when she knew Tomoe would not hear her. Tae had given them both a good scolding, telling them they had to behave nicely towards their company, but to her further annoyance, they did.
Both Kaoru and Yahiko were perfectly polite and respectful when having to deal with Tomoe. Since she was always with somone, be it Kenshin, Aiko or Daren, they made sure to act nicely, smile, and give their excuses with a sweet tone of voice. Although inwardly they both seethed and wanted to run as far from the girl as they could get, they wouldn't dare do something to get Kenshin or his parents mad at them.
Although Kaoru was certainly mad at her cousin. During the month since Tomoe had been there, he'd been so caught up in entertaining his friend that he'd hardly paid attention to her. She'd been moved to the opposite side of the table, sitting next to Yahiko and with no one else beside her, Aiko hadn't remembered her weekly tea in the garden with her, Daren hadn't been riding with her, and worst of all, Kenshin hadn't tucked her in. During the year she'd been staying with them, he'd always tucked her into bed when he was home... until now.
The first few nights she'd attributed it to the fact that he was excited about his friend staying with them, but after she'd wasted ten candles in hopes he'd remember, she finally gave up and blew them out herself before going to bed, the book they'd been reading left discarded on her shelf instead of her nightstand.
One day, while Kaoru watched Emerson struggling to break in the new horse, whom she'd decided to name Draco, she was surprised to hear a familiar voice speak to her. She turned to find Tomoe standing beside the wooden fence she was sitting on and asked her to repeat her question.
"I said he's beautiful, isn't he?" Tomoe asked again, watching the young girl closely.
"Of course he is, he's wild," Kaoru turned back and watched the horse intently, "He was found out in the forest and they don't think he's been owned before. He had no shoes or anything so show that another person had owned him before to his capture. Not to mention how mean he is."
"You seem to know a lot about him," Tomoe smiled.
Kaoru shrugged, "Was there anything I could help you with?"
"No, I was just hoping we could talk," Tomoe watched for a reaction, "I've been here a month and we have yet to have a full one-on-one conversation."
"We just had it," Kaoru mumbled, leaning back a little as the horse turned towards her. He was angry, she could tell. He'd been let out of his stall in the fenced area so he could get some excercise, but it was too small. He needed more room, or more accurately, he needed to run freely, not be tied up.
"You should get down, he doesn't look too happy to see you there," Tomoe tugged at her sleeve lightly. "Come along Kaoru."
She pulled her sleeve away and threw her head back, defiantly looking the horse in the eye, "I'm not afraid. Draco won't hurt me, I've stayed with him before."
The animal started walking towards them, then running. Kaoru could hear Emerson yelling at her to move, Tomoe behind her was pulling at her dress, but she held on and leaned forward, refusing to move. The horse drew closer and was about to reach her side when she was snatched off the rail roughly, a familiar voice yelling at her.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?! That horse is dangerous Kaoru! He could have killed you!" Kenshin set her on the ground and turned her to face him, shaking her shoulders a bit. "I've told you not to go near that animal yet both you and Yahiko insist on coming to see it!"
"Because he's not..." Kaoru began to fight argue, cut off by a wave of his hand.
"He IS dangerous, I helped catch him remember? I was here when he was put in his stall and saw his mad kicking. He dislocated Erick's shoulder, bruised one of Emerson's ribs and could have killed you right now! I won't have him here anymore!" Kenshin turned and bellowed for Emerson to get his rifle.
"NO!" Kaoru screamed, turning away from Kenshin and running to the opposite side of the fence where the door was. Throwing it open, Kaoru ran inside and stopped a few feet away from the horse, surprised to see it had followed her when she ran. She stood a mere yard away from him and could see his nose flaring angrily. As he reared back and kicked out with his legs, Kaoru heard everyone's shouts around them and closed her eyes when a hoof came surprisingly close to her.
Time seemed to stop for a second, Kaoru held her breath, waiting for the blow to come, and was surprised when she heard a loud thud and then, finally, felt something wet touching her. Opening her eyes to see a large mouth touching her forehead, she smiled and lifted her hand to stroke his cheek, stepping forward to hug Draco around his large neck.
Kenshin stood frozen at the door and watched her for a moment, petting the horse, cooing soothing words to him, nuzzling her cheek against his neck. The animal was twice her size, and yet as docile as a puppy. [Is this the same horse that has caused us so much trouble?] He sighed in relief watching her there with the animal. He could have sworn his heart stopped when it had reared back as if to strike.
Kaoru smiled and stepped away from the subdued stallion. Walking towards the gate, she wasn't surprised when he stayed by her side, following her past Kenshin and the rest of their stunned audience to his stall. After closing the door, she suddenly realized she was the center of attention and smiled bashfully, excusing herself before she turned and skipped towards the house.
"When did this happen?" Kenshin asked Emerson.
The head groom shrugged, "No idea, the miss hasn't been riding in weeks."
"She hasn't been riding?" Kenshin frowned, knowing it was one of her favorite activities.
Emerson shook his head, "She's come down to the stables for a few minutes at a time, but she hasn't been riding since the morning your friend arrived."
[Tomoe?] Kenshin watched her shake her head while watching Kaoru in the distance and frowned. Making his way over to her side, he offered his arm and began leading the way back inside. "What do you think of that? Not only a distinguished pianist, singer, and composer, she's a horse trainer as well."
"She's a musician?" Tomoe blinked, "You've mentioned it, but I don't believe I've ever heard her play anything."
Now that got Kenshin to stop in surprise, "You haven't heard her play? But surely that's a mistake, the house is always filled with music. She lives to compose."
Tomoe gave a dainty shrug, "I don't recall hearing any music since my arrival, besides at the dinners we've been to of course."
"Hmm... how very odd," Kenshin followed her to the house, hardly listening to her conversation while he thought back over the past month. [When was the last time I spent time with Kaoru?]
Relieved at Tae's informing them that lunch was to be served in the parlor, Kenshin excused himself from Tomoe and headed upstairs to wash up, stopping by Kaoru's room on his way down the hall. To his dismay, she wasn't there and so he hurriedly cleaned himself and headed back down to the parlor to join the family, grinning at the sound of Yahiko's excited voice.
"Can I please keep it? I promise to take very good care of it and not let it loose in the house," the little boy held a box with a toad inside, surrounded by some leaves and the lid of a large tin holding water for it. "See, his leg is hurt and someone needs to watch over him."
"Well..." Aiko smiled down into his begging eyes and nodded, "I agree that he needs watching over so you may keep him until his leg heals."
Yahiko's eyes widened, "Really?! Thank you so much!"
Sitting off to his side, Tomoe made a face and turned her head away when he walked by, hurrying to put the toad away before the meal began. "I must admit I admire your kindness in taking the boy in, after his being orphaned here and everything, but to allow him the priviliges of a noble is a bit much isn't it? The boy should be outside learning a good skill that will help him survive in the real world. And then to tolerate his bringing in such revolting creatures like that toad."
"He's not the only toad in this house," Kaoru's mumble did not go unnoticed by her cousin or uncle.
Aiko merely kept smiling and shook her head, "Yahiko is a part of this family Tomoe, he has every right to the treatment he gets, and his toad was quite lovely in comparison to the one Kenshin brought in."
"Now mother, Weasley was disabled," Kenshin smiled at the memory, "Remember he couldn't leap?"
Daren chuckled, "Remember who broke his legs?"
"Lunch is served," Tae had their food set out quickly, smiling at the memory of Kenshin's toad also.
"But still, I mean, the boy may feel like family but he's really not and the world won't forget that." Tomoe insisted, looking slightly sad and worried, "I don't think its fair to get his hopes up for something better."
"We're not..." Kenshin began to explain when a small voice from the doorway interrupted.
All eyes turned towards the little boy standing proudly in the doorway, "There is no need to worry, Miss Tomoe, I KNOW I am merely the son of a maid and a footman, but the Himura's have been kind enough to watch over me until I am old enough to earn my keep. I know this and don't look to being anything more."
Tomoe bit her lip, keeping her eyes downcast as a wave of regret rolled over her. [I shouldn't have spoken my mind out loud.]
"May I be excused," Kaoru set her napkin on the table, hands folded primly in her lap while she waited.
"No, Yahiko please take your seat," Daren watched to boy nod and walk straight-backed to his chair, using the best manners he'd seen the boy use. "We're lunching 'en famille' today and will retire to the music room afterwords to hear Kaoru play, and I want to hear nothing about this again, the topic is closed."
"Of course your grace," Tomoe slid teary eyes to Kenshin and was shocked to see him sitting stiffly beside her, anger evident in his posture. [I can't believe he's angry with me! Ken's never been angry with me before!] Looking to the children across from them, a confused look crossed her eyes as she watched them. Sure, they were both behaving as they should, but one was the son of servants and the other was a simple-minded little french girl, and everyone knew how boorish french people were.
As they finished their meal and stood, it was Kaoru who broke the silence, her soft voice reaching everyone. "I don't mean to upset you further Uncle Daren, but must I play? I'm not feeling up to the task."
Daren sighed, knowing she wanted to run away with Yahiko most likely and shook his head. "I haven't heard you in days, now I want to see where your practicing has gotten you."
To everyone's surprise, Kenshin spoke up also, "I'm sure we'd all love to hear Kaoru play but I just remembered Tomoe and I have an appointment to see the Rowlands in about half an hour and we need to change."
Kaoru kept her eyes locked on the ground a knot formed in her throat, growing tighter by the moment while he spoke. Daren began to argue when Tomoe cut in again. "But your grace, Kaoru did say she didn't feel up to it today, perhaps we should hold things off until tomorrow when she might feel more inspired?"
"Is this appointment really so important? It is just another social call which you could make tomorrow," Daren glared at his son.
"Its all right, I really don't feel like playing right now," Kaoru smiled at her uncle's good intentions, keeping her eyes from Kenshin on purpose.
"Actually, they must go, we meant to surprise you all but I suppose it was bound to be discovered." Aiko broke in, "Two days ago during our visit with Marie, we were discussing the possibilities of throwing a ball."
"A ball?" Kaoru's eyes lit up, smiling at Yahiko.
"No use in getting your hopes up sweeting, you aren't old enough yet to be there," Daren chuckled at her crestfallen expression. "Will the announcement be made that night?"
[Announcement?] Kaoru and Yahiko shared a confused look, which went unnoticed by the adults in the room.
"We thought it a good idea to celebrate both engagements at the same time," Kenshin smiled, "After all, I did grow up with Megumi and we both agree that it would be fun to announce our up-coming nuptuals together."
"That's just like you two," Daren smiled and nodded in agreement, "If it's what you want then get going, you have just enough time to change and head over."
"Wonderful, we're so excited!" Tomoe excused herself and headed towards her room, Aiko going up with her.
"Well, it looks like you're off the hook young lady," Daren turned his smile towards Kaoru and was surprised by her pallor. "Are you feeling all right dear?"
"Oui," Kaoru blinked, not noticing their worried expressions, "Je dois fais mes devoirs, excuse moi."
"Excuse me too," Yahiko followed her upstairs, knowing the girl was probably devastated. Reaching her room, he was surprised when she asked him to go away. "But you don't look so good Kaoru."
"I'll be fine," her voice cracked a bit and he could see her struggling to make her chin stop trembling, tears pooling in her eyes.
"I don't know about that," Yahiko insisted, voice softening as a tear slipped down her cheek, "You thought he'd wait for you, didn't you?"
Kaoru's eyes hardened and she turned to push him out of her room, "Just leave me alone Yahiko!"
The slamming of her door behind him made his anger snap. Running downstairs, he was just in time to see Kenshin help Tomoe into the carriage and quickened his strides. "You jerk!"
"Yahiko!" Aiko turned startled eyes towards the boy glowering at her son, "What is the matter with you?"
"I'M fine! Its Kaoru who's crying her heart out in her room!" Yahiko stood a couple of steps above Kenshin where he could stare him in the eyes.
"You know, I don't care that you didn't tell me, but Kaoru's a different story. For the past MONTH the girl's been hoping you'll remember that she's alive! You used to tuck her in at night and read those stupid books! You used to listen to her play and take her for picnics. Hell, you used to acknowledge when she was in the room!"
His enraged eyes filled with tears as he spoke, "You haven't even missed her have you? She got in trouble with Tae for wasting candles after leaving them on overnight in hopes you'd remember! You're her best friend Kenshin! No one can make her smile the way you can! When you're gone she sulks for a week and plays gloomy music! When your letters arrive she's the first one to open them! You're her Ken-ii and you're engaged and you couldn't bother to tell her yourself?!"
He glared at Tomoe also, angrily swiping at the tears that had spilled down his cheeks while he turned to glare at Kenshin again. "You forgot all about Kaoru when Tomoe arrived, and she's slowly been brushed aside by your fiancee more and more. First she uses Kaoru's nickname Ken-ii for you, then she takes her place at the table, and now she's taking you away permanently!"
He turned to glare at the girl watching from the carriage, "What next? Will we be living in the stables soon? Serving your food at the table? That is, after all, what I was born to do right? What would you have Kaoru do?"
A shocked gasp escaped the girl, who quickly looked to Kenshin to defend her, "Ken-ii?"
"Didn't you just hear me say you shouldn't call him that! He's not your cousin! He's your finacee!" Yahiko gave her one more glare and turned back to Kenshin, "You'd better apologize to Kaoru and don't mention my yelling at you! If you pretend to be interested in her she'll forget about everything."
His shoulders finally slumped, a hurt look coming into his eyes, "She always forgives YOU for everything."
Turning before he could reply, Yahiko ran back inside, slamming the door to his own room angrily.
~
"He's right," Kenshin felt a wave of guilt swamp him at the thought of Kaoru crying because of him. "Didn't Kaoru know I was engaged?"
Aiko and Daren shook their heads, realizing they'd been neglecting her as well. "We thought you'd told her yourself."
"The poor thing," Aiko looked at her son as he apologized to Tomoe.
"We'll have to postpone our visit with Megumi for tomorrow," He took her hand and helped her out of the carriage, frowning in annoyance at her slight pout.
"If we must," she sighed and excused herself, going up to her room to lie down for a bit.
Kenshin and his parents followed her inside, but he was the only one to go up to Kaoru's room. Standing outside her door, he felt his heart break at the sound of her muffled sobs, opening the door and stepping in quietly. Making his way over to the bed, he wasn't surprised to see the book they'd been reading was no longer on her nightstand. Kaoru lay on her side facing away from the door, hugging her dog and sobbing into her pillow.
"Please stop," Kenshin sat by her side, watching her sit up and turn wide, red-rimmed eyes towards him.
"Ken... *hiccup* ... Ken-ii?"
"Yeah," Kenshin gave a lopsided smile and wiped the tears from her cheeks, cupping her chin in his hands. "How many times has this happened lately?"
Karou frowned, "What?"
"How many times have I made you cry?" Kenshin watched her avert her eyes and shrug.
Her voice was soft and hurt as she spoke, "It doesn't really matter. I had gotten so used to depending on you, I forgot why I hadn't done it with anyone before I came."
She gave a wry smile, her eyes taking on that wisdom he'd seen before, the type that surpassed a girl of her years and made his anger at his family resurface. Her voice brought him back into focus, "Luckily I remember again, I can handle being ignored by you now."
Her shoulders slumped a bit as her eyes watched her hands, "Its just that I always thought you'd tell me you were getting married in a better way. Or at the very least that you'd tell me yourself."
"I'm so sorry Kaoru, I thought my parents had told you," Kenshin pulled her close, running a hand through her loose hair.
"I understand, you're engaged now, I can't expect you to have time for me and Yahiko anymore." She smiled a bit and sniffled, "You have to keep your fiancee happy right?"
"That doesn't mean I can just ignore you the way I have been, its just been strange trying to arrange things for the wedding and the reception and everything." Kenshin sighed and toyed with her hair, "I've been really busy, but that doesn't forgive my neglecting you lately, and its not even been just me has it?"
Kaoru shrugged, "You've all been busy and Yahiko and I are perfectly capable of watching out for ourselves. We've done well in our studies, we both passed the review exams we had last week and were given new books by professor Hayworth."
"And what about your music? Have you written anything lately?" Kenshin asked, not surprised to feel her shake her head.
Kaoru sighed, "I haven't had much time to practice or much inspiration."
"You're always inspired," Kenshin reminded her.
"Not lately," Kaoru shrugged and looked back up to her dear cousin, smiling to see him worrying about her. "I'm ok now Ken-ii, really, there's no need for you to feel so bad. I can't say I haven't missed you, I've missed you terribly, but I can get along on my own."
"I don't want you to," Kenshin insisted, hugging her closer to him, relieved to hear her giggle a little. "I'm sorry we've been preoccupied but I promise to make things better and not to ignore you anymore."
"Its all right," Kaoru hugged him back, breathing in the familiar scent of sandalwood and Kenshin which she'd come to love. [Just don't let go] Kaoru tightened her hold as a thought ran through her mind, her voice suddenly sad again. "Are you going to live in London now?"
"I'm afraid so," Kenshin sighed and moved back to lean against a bedpost, pulling her along with him so she lay across his lap, her head pillowed on his shoulder.
"Its so far away," Kaoru whispered, thinking of the week of traveling it took the last time they'd gone.
Kenshin nodded, hugging her a bit closer, "But I'll still see you."
"How often though?"
"I can't promise it'll be too often, at Christmas time and easter, probably a few weeks in the summer and a couple more times in between the holidays." Kenshin frowned, the idea of not seeing his lively little cousin suddenly making his excitement dim a bit. He'd always been a few hours ride away, coming home as often as possible, usually two to three times a month and spending the whole weekend with the family.
Kaoru nodded, tears forming in her eyes again, "I'm gonna miss you."
"We'll keep in touch, its not the end of the world," Kenshin tried to lighten the mood, forcing a bit of cheerfullness into his voice.
[Perhaps not yours] Kaoru nodded again, tears slipping silently down her cheeks as they sat there quietly. Each was lost in thought over their quickly changing future, a sense of foreboding going through both of them.
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Again, sorry for the long time without updates, hopefully I'll be getting a more steady rhythm going with this story. Thanks to all my readers!