Hiya, Minna-sama! Lara-chan here with another update on Paradise. Glad you all liked the last chapter, I actually wasn't so sure what kind of response I'd get, but it was overwhelmingly positive and I thank you for that.
About the pairings: hehe, I'm not telling, you'll just have to keep reading, minna!
PianZoe : Arigatou! Glad you liked it so much! Here's your update as requested and thankies for the review!!
Peachy-Chan : Your wish is my command! Hope you enjoy it!!
noner 89 : thankies for the review! Hope you're still reading to see how the pairings turn out!
sindarin Lady : Thanks! Yesh, I liked that aspect of Kenshin's personality and really wanted a chance to elaborate on that part of him. I'm glad you liked it!
Nigihayami Haruko : Aww, thankies for the support as always, Haruko-chan! ::huggles you:: Hehe our poor little Rurouni….read on to find out more of Kenshin's troubles ^__^
Crystal Renee: GLOMP! …sorry…. Had to get that out…. OMY! Poor Crystal-chan/Crispy chicken! Heh, thankies for the flame-proof suit though *wink wink* thanks again for the lor-ver-ly review!!
lady knight : I know
what you mean! I didn't think Kaoru was that mean either, but apparently, she
is!! Hehe, thankies for the
review ^_^
Weasel1029 : 0.0 poor Battousai/Rurouni indeed!
Hehe, hope you're still reading and hope you like
this chappie!!
Asilin Kheldarson : Aww, I felt sorry for him too! Poor Kenshin, Kaoru is being
insensitive, ne? Well, hope you like this chappie!
Kenshin's Lover : Eh, I think I did it because I'm
slightly evil….more evil to come!! Thanks for the review!!
LadySword04 : Arigatou for the long, wonderful review!! Hehe I hope you stick around to see how things shake down
with this couple as it will be rather…interesting. Thanks again for the review!
^_____^
Kitty Katana : OMY! Thankies
for the long review! I thoroughly enjoyed it!! And I would LOVE to tell you
about the pairings and such… but you'll have to email me because I don't wanna
say it here. Thanks again for the nice and helpful review my friend, and here's
hoping that you and Tsuru are sticking around to see
chappie 5!! (oh, and don't worry, there's a twist…there's
a twist, we just haven't reached it yet ^_^)
Uma-Chan : Thankies! Hope you like this chapter too!
Mutt : Aww, thanks! I
appreciate it! Hope you like how chapter 5 turns out!
Oyuki : I know, tis sad, ne? I feel a bit evil doing it, but I hope you'll stay with me and find out what other horrors I have in store for little KandK
Animegurl444 : *cowers in fear at popsicle stick of DOOM!* ok, don't use the popsicle stick….set it down nice and easy… here! *shoves update your way* hehe, hope you like it!
Victoria : heh heh
heh, I wish I could tell you the pairings, but I can't!!
email me if ya wanna know!! Heheh, thanks for the nice review, as always!!
rurouni madness
: Oh, don't worry, I didn't count it as a flame! Hope you stick around and read
chappie 5!!
Mia1218 : Arigatou,
Mia-chan! Hehe don't worry about the lateness of the
review, I was just excited to hear from you!! Hope you like this update!! ^__^
Child-of-the-Dawn : hehe, I feel
the same way! Thankies for the review!!
Youko : Aww, thankies! Glad you thought so!!
MZ. AMbER EYES :
Hehe, I know! Our poor little
heartbroken Rurouni, ne? Hope you like this
chapter!!
AngelicFairy : I know! Stupid Kaoru! Lets get
her!!
TenukoMeiou : hehe, your wish is my command
^_^
hotohori : GOOD! I'm glad SOMEONE is noticing
the chapter titles!! :huggles
you for noticing:: hehe, thankies
for it!! ^____^
Goddess of Books : Cool username, btw! Thanks so much! I'm
glad you liked that part, personally it's my favorite
interaction too, between the two of them. Thankies!!
dinkydaelf : hellboy, huh? Well I just might
have to see it on your recommendation! Thankies, as always,
for the splendind review ^_~
Alea Seikou: hehe, a katana to the bridegrooms head might work nicely, I
think you are right! Maybe you and I can convince Baka-deshi
that he's just TOO passive, ne? Thanks again for the
nice review!!
Wolf Creek : Arigatou! And I hope you're still with me!!
Quist : *muahahahaha* Quist has discovered my evil streak!! Hehe,
well I sure hope our lovebirds get it together soon, don't you? Thankies for the review!!
CHiBi FeLiX : Hehe, me too! Hope you like
this chapter as well as the last one!!
Kenshinlilangel : Heh heh
heh, you'll just have to stick around and see, my
friend! In the meantime, thankies for the nice
review!!
And ON WITH THE STORY! Btw, I no own, so there ya go
Chapter 5, Shade of Paradise
Gray.
It was everywhere. The walls were gray, the sun was gray, the clothes, the washboard, the soap, all gray.
Rurouni and Battousai sighed in unison as Rurouni continued to do the laundry.
"It's like having a lung removed," Battousai commented. "dull pain." Rurouni didn't answer,
"What is?"
Rurouni jumped, Battousai placed a hand on his katana and wheeled around. There in the sunlight leaning against the door to the dojo was Kazuo. "Kuso…" Rurouni breathed quietly. How much had his skills depleted that he didn't even notice that despicable ki creeping up on him?
"What is?" Kazuo asked again, his eyes narrowing a bit as he took another draw on his cigarette.
Rurouni fidgeted for the first time in years. What was it about this man that made him so…was it? Yes, Kazuo made him nervous. "Oh…ah…nothing."
"Hn. Where is she?" Kazuo blew another puff of smoke in Kenshin's general direction.
"Who, de gozaru yo?"
"Kaoru." Kazuo almost shouted, an exasperated look coming across his face.
"Kaoru-dono went on a walk in the field out back early this morning. Sessha thinks she's still there now." Kenshin pointed one slightly sudsy hand towards the woods. One could see green spring meadows stretching off for many miles just past the tree line.
Kazuo sighed and rolled his eyes, "You know, Himura, I'm a very busy man."
"…Sessha can only imagine." Kenshin arched his eyebrows politely.
'Where's he going with this 'busy' bit?' Battousai demanded to know from the recesses of Kenshin's mind.
"I haven't got all day…" Kazuo's eyes widened just a bit more.
"Really?" Kenshin gave Kazuo a curious look which, for some reason, made Kazuo ball up his fists.
"Well? Are you just going to stand there all day?!"
"What do you want sessha to d-"
Kazuo abruptly crushed his cigarette under his Italian leather heels. Kenshin stayed poised over the washing, one hand in, one hand half out, watching Kazuo walk towards him with a deliberate smile For a minute, he just stood over Kenshin, and then…
"Umf!" Kenshin breathed as he felt Kazuo reach down and grab the front of his gi, hauling him upwards and holding him a couple of feet in the air, upsetting the water basin and the clothes in the process. The soap and kimonos went spilling out across the grass and into the mud.
Then, Kazuo…was he…. Why yes, the idiot was raising his hand up as if to strike Kenshin across the face.
'Wrong move!' Battousai shouted as reached for his sword.
'No!' Rurouni knocked his hand away from the hilt. 'Sessha can't let you! Obviously, Kaoru-dono sees something in this man, and it would only hurt her to hurt him!"
At this point, Battousai seriously considered turning his sword upon his other, obviously half-crazy half. But, his feelings were interrupted by the sound of Kazuo's voice.
"Listen, you. I've seen your kind before, you worthless pieces of shits that live off a woman's money and never do an honest day's work in your life. Well, you listen to me, and you listen good! Once I marry her, you'll be through, so you better start looking for someone else to leech off of. 'Till then, remember who you're talking to, baka!" With that, Kazuo flung Kenshin away from him, expecting him to land splayed out across the ground.
And his smart little expression turned to one of disgust as Kenshin arched himself in the air and landed calmly and lightly on his feet. He dusted the front of himself off with his hands, adjusting the collar of his gi as he did so.
For one moment, there was an amber tint about Kenshin's eyes, a kind of calculated expression that one saw on very hungry wolves. Then, it quickly receded.
"Sessha will go find Kaoru-dono now."
Kenshin had to get away from Kazuo. If he stayed near him much longer, Battousai was going to take over and turn Kazuo into sushi. He heard Kazuo give a grunt of approval as he walked away, knew Kazuo thought he had won the game. But Kazuo just didn't know who he was playing with…
What he was toying with…
Kazuo was fighting a raging forest fire with a leaky garden hose.
*************
Ah, and so this was where the color was.
A bright green field dotted with wildflowers, and her, her knees pulled up to her chest, sitting on a weathered rock in the middle of it.
She heard him approaching and sat up. "Kenshin!" She waved at him to try to catch his attention, as if he could have ever missed such a lovely sight…
"Good morning, Kaoru-dono." He murmured as he sat down beside her.
"Aren't they lovely?" Kaoru stuck a fist full of wildflowers in Kenshin's face.
"H-hai-t-CHOO!" He had always been a bit allergic to daisies. She giggled.
"Oops! Sorry about that Kenshin!" Kenshin waved her apology off and she kept right on talking. "You know, I always wanted to carry a bouquet of wildflowers when I got married…and now I'm finally getting to!" Her laughter tinkled through the clear air.
"H-hai…about that-"
"I mean, with the wedding only two weeks away, I'm a little nervous… But Kazuo just insisted that we get married as soon as possible!"
"B-but Kaoru-don-"
'Say it!' Battousai roared in Kenshin's mind.
"But I guess when you're really in love, time doesn't matter, ne?"
"Yes…well…Kao-"
'Say it! Kazuo's a jerk and I won't let you marry him!'
'It'd be a lot easier for Sessha to tell her if she wasn't so HAPPY!' Rurouni shot back.
"Oh! Kenshin! I almost forgot to ask you,"
"Sessha isn't sure if this is such a good ide-"
"Kenshin," Suddenly, Kaoru turned towards him and grabbed his hands in hers, pressing them to the fine fabric of another kimono that Kazuo had recently bought for her. "Kenshin… I'm not sure exactly how to say this, so I'm just going to blurt it out, ok?"
"O…ok, Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin cocked an eyebrow.
"Kenshin…"
"Hai?"
"Will you please…"
'Say it! Say it, say: Rescue me from that rat Kazuo who I never want to see again!' Rurouni leaned on her words.
"Walk me down the aisle?"
Kenshin's heart turned to liquid. So, not only was he losing the woman he loved, but she was actually asking him to give her away? To someone who was definetly not worthy of her?
Well, no one was worthy of her…
He just hadn't concluded as of yet whether Kazuo was more worthy than he was…
Unfortunately, she misread his expression. Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes.
"I-if you don't want to, j-just tell me…"
"No!" Kenshin grabbed her shoulders, " No, Kaoru-dono, sessha would be honored." He heard himself saying.
"R-really?"
'Wait, we will?' Battousai lost his poker face and let his mouth drop open.
"H…Hai, Kaoru-dono." What else could he do?
"Oh! Thank you Kenshin!!" With that, she leaped into his arms and gave him a quick, brotherly hug. "Its going to be beautiful, the wedding, I mean. I know exactly how I want it, I've know since I was six exactly how I want it…. Now I just have to talk to Kazuo about it…"
"Well, Kaoru-dono, he's here….actually…" Kenshin scratched the back of his head like a guilty child.
Kaoru jumped up. "Really? Great! Lets go see him!" She grabbed his hand and started running across the field towards the dojo. "I know, Kenshin," she gasped over her shoulder, "I know that once you get to know Kazuo, you'll love him as much as I do!"
"…Se-sessha is sure he will…"
'Liar.' Battousai quipped.
'Shut up.' The gentle Rurouni shot back, stunning Battousai into silence.
*************
Well, hoped you liked it, Minna! I think I might have chappie six by sometime late next week. Oh, and for those of you who are interested: Not ANOTHER Botan Story! Will be updated tonight. Combattants De Liberte will be updated on Friday or Saturday…and Nineteen……will be updated early next week. Thanks! Ja ne! Lara-chan
