I'm sorry it's taken awhile to update this. I was faced with writer's block. It's no fun. Thank you to those who gave me reviews, they mean a lot to me!
Just a note, I decided that I would use my magical powers as the writer to give Kenshin a blue gi in this chapter. I know he's rather attached to his pink one, but he needs at least one change of clothes. After all, he can't do the laundry nekked, right? ^_^ Although, Kaoru might not mind the sight! ^_^ Hehehe
Enjoy!
Between Youth and Age Part 2Kenshin held the lid onto the pot as he drained the steaming water out of the rice. He set the pot back onto the counter and stirred the rice on last time. He grabbed a small towel to protect his calloused hands from the heat of the metal and carried the pot out to a waiting Sanosuke and Yahiko. He sat the heavy pot down and removed the lid.
"It's about time, Kenshin. I'm starved!" said Sanosuke impatiently, reaching for the rice. Kenshin hit his hand with the lid. "Youch! That's hot!"
"Perhaps you would like to start cooking breakfast for us, Sano," Kenshin said calmly. "And besides, we should wait for Kaoru-dono before we start eating, that we should."
Sanosuke waved his hand around in attempt to cool it down. "Where is Jou-chan anyway? She's normally up by now," he asked.
"She'll be here any minute," said Kenshin as he went back into the kitchen for the soup.
Yahiko frowned and crossed his arms. "Why do we have to wait for her, anyway?" he asked irritably. "I'm hungry now!"
"I dunno. Go get her, would you? I want to eat," Sanosuke said, giving Yahiko a shove.
"Me? Why do I have to?" asked Yahiko.
"'Cuz she's your sensei," Sanosuke replied. "Just go!"
"You go!" shouted Yahiko, pushing him back.
"Don't push me!" Sanosuke said, shoving Yahiko again.
"Then don't push me!" Yahiko snarled, shaking his fist.
Sanosuke reached over and grabbed a fistful of Yahiko's gi and pulled him to his face. "Hey now, kid, don't get snappy with me, you here?"
Kenshin returned from the kitchen with the soup. "Now now, you two. There's no need for that here." Sanosuke and Yahiko growled at each other. He sat the bowl down. "If neither of you two wish to find Kaoru-dono, then don't. I will go to tell her that breakfast is ready." He wiped the soup that had spilled on his hands off onto the towel and left the room.
"Finally, food!" Sanosuke said, filling his bowl with rice.
"I thought we were supposed to wait for Kaoru," said Yahiko, folding his arms.
Sanosuke stuffed his mouth full of rice. "Would Kenshin really want the food he spent all morning making get cold before we had a chance to eat it?" he asked, rice falling out of his mouth. Yahiko made a face and flicked a grain from his cheek.
"I guess not," the boy muttered.
"Alright then," Sanosuke mumbled through the food in his mouth. He swallowed. "Pass me another bowl, will you?"
Kenshin barely made a sound as he walked down the hallway to Kaoru's room. He wondered why Kaoru had not joined them for breakfast. She was always awake and about the dojo before Yahiko and Sanosuke. He hoped that she was all right and that nothing was wrong.
"Kaoru-dono?" he asked. He rapped his knuckles on the doorframe. "Kaoru-dono, are you awake? Breakfast is ready, that it is."
There was no reply from inside the room. Kenshin grew concerned. "Kaoru-dono? Are you in there?" It wasn't like Kaoru to hide away like this. Perhaps she was ill and wished to sleep longer. He hoped that was not the case.
A thought struck Kenshin. What if she was in danger? "Kaoru-dono? I'm going to come inside now. Please do not be alarmed." He needed to make sure that she was safe.
The door slid open just as Kenshin reached for it. "Kenshin?" Kaoru asked quietly.
"Oh, Kaoru-dono! Ano…ohayo," Kenshin fumbled. "I was just coming to find you, that I was. Breakfast is ready." He noticed that her eyes seemed redder than usual. She seemed to be upset about something. "Is everything all right, Kaoru-dono?"
Kaoru nodded slowly. "Hai," she said sadly. Kenshin looked skeptical.
Kaoru, you baka! Kaoru scolded herself. He's not going to believe that! Her face brightened up. "Of course it is! Everything's great! Why do you ask?" she asked, trying her hardest to smile.
"Oh, well, you don't seem to be your usual self today, that you don't," Kenshin replied. "I was concerned."
Kaoru waved her hand. "Oh, don't be silly!" she said cheerfully. "Everything's great. Stop worrying yourself!"
Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Positive!" Kaoru said.
Kenshin hesitated. Somehow he was not convinced. However, he said to himself, if Kaoru-dono says she is all right, then I will just have to believe her. Kenshin smiled. "Alright then, Sanosuke and Yahiko are waiting for us. We shouldn't keep them waiting, that we shouldn't."
Kaoru nodded and began down the hallway. I can't let him see me like this, Kaoru said to herself. Knowing Kenshin, he'd ask questions, and I don't want him to know about my birthday. Besides, he doesn't need to worry about my problems. I should be able to handle them myself. I am eighteen, after all. Not some whiney little girl.
Kenshin opened the door and followed Kaoru into the kitchen. Sanosuke and Yahiko were both stuffing their faces with food. Kenshin frowned. "I thought we were going to wait for Kaoru-dono!" he said.
Sanosuke swallowed his rice. "Well, we were…" he said with a shrug. "We just got tired of waiting." Yahiko nodded. Kaoru let out a sigh and sat down. Kenshin followed suit. With that, breakfast passed by rather uneventfully.
Kaoru decided to work with Yahiko to get her mind off of what lay ahead in the week. The youth was restless lately and Kaoru knew that he had energy to burn. She instructed him to fetch the training supplies from the dojo while she went to change her clothes. Yahiko eagerly complied.
"Start with one hundred repetitions of each stroke," Kaoru told him, her wooden sword resting on her shoulder. "Then we will work on sparring, alright?"
"Hai!" Yahiko agreed. He began slashing the air with his shinei, counting to himself.
Kaoru walked over and sat on the front steps of the house, watched her pupil do his warm-ups. Yahiko was improving everyday. Kaoru smiled smugly. I must be a great teacher since he's doing so well, she thought. Even if the student has great potential, it takes a good instructor to bring it to the surface. Not bad for an almost-eighteen year old, if I do say so myself. Kaoru sighed. I wonder if Kenshin's noticed…
Kaoru's thoughts were interrupted as some kind of textile landed on her head. "Nani?" she cried, trying to pull it off of her. She noticed that whatever it was had an unusual aroma. It smells good, she thought.
"Oh, Kaoru-dono! Gomen!" she heard Kenshin say as she pulled the cloth off of her. She looked down to see Kenshin's magenta gi in her hand. Puzzled, she looked up to see the rurouni struggling with an armload of laundry.
"I did not mean to drop that on you, that I did not," he said sheepishly.
"Oh, it's fine," Kaoru said, standing up while clutching the article of clothing to her. "Do you need any help with that?" she asked.
"No thank you, Kaoru-dono. I can manage, that I can," he said, dropping one of Yahiko's undershirts. He looked down at it, contemplating how he was going to retrieve it without dropping the rest of the laundry in his hands.
"Are you sure about that?" Kaoru smirked as she picked up the shirt and placed it on the pile in Kenshin's arms.
"Hai. Arigato, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin replied. He began to walk down the stairs and toward the other end of the courtyard. Kaoru's eyes trailed after him and she sighed. She sat back down on the steps and continued to watch Yahiko.
He smells so good, Kaoru thought as she smelled the gi again. Kenshin had a scent of a lush forest right after a rainstorm. She could smell the trees and the plants.
One of Kaoru's favorite childhood memories was when her father would take her for a walk in the forest after a summer shower. She loved to splash in the puddles and smell the flowers. Then she would run over to her father, take his hand, and walk with him silently back to the house. The forest always intimidated young Kaoru, but as long as her father was near, she felt safe. Nothing in the world could hurt her.
Kaoru smiled. It was the same feeling she had with Kenshin. The whole world could be crumbling around her and fading away into the fiery depths of Hell, but as long as her rurouni stood next to her nothing could hurt her. With Kenshin sleeping in the room down the hall, Kaoru no longer feared the dark of her room at night. If she awoke from a nightmare in the middle of the night, all she would have to do was remind herself the Kenshin was near and she would instantly fall back into a peaceful sleep. It was just like when her father had slept down the hall. It seemed only natural that Kenshin smell like rainstorms. They were always something that made Kaoru feel safe.
Kaoru smelled the gi again before she stopped. She looked down at the garment in she hands, her jaw dropping. I still have it! She jumped up from the step. Kenshin will think that I'm nuts for hanging on to this! Kaoru dashed across the courtyard towards the bathhouse. She peeked around the corner.
Kenshin was standing in front of the tub with his back toward Kaoru. He was wrapping a white ribbon around his body to hold his navy-blue sleeves back. Kaoru eyed the laundry pile next to him. Maybe if I could toss this in there and run away before he notices that it's not there, she wondered. She really did not want to explain to the redhead why she kept his gi while he walked away. I'll just leave it here on the ground. Maybe he'll think he dropped it again.
Kaoru was about to drop the gi when Kenshin turned around to face her. Kaoru blushed. How did he know I was here? Wait, he probably sensed me. Drat!
"Yes, Kaoru-dono?" he asked, tying the ribbon.
"Ano…" Kaoru said, trying to think of an excuse. None came to her. Kenshin's eyes fell to the gi in her hands. "You…you forgot this," she said sheepishly.
"Oro?" Kenshin asked. He smiled. "Hmm, it seems I did," he said, approaching her. She held out the gi and he took it. "Domo," he said with a smile.
Kaoru smiled back. "I should probably get back to Yahiko," she said quietly. She turned around and started away.
"Is everything all right, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked.
Kaoru turned around and smiled. "Of course, silly!" Kenshin did not seem to be convinced. "Stop worrying about me!"
Kenshin stared after her as she walked back toward the dojo. Something's not right, he thought. He waited until she was out of sight before he turned back to the laundry.
Meanwhile, Kaoru was thinking about Kenshin's gi. She could not get the smell of rain out of her head. She always loved the smell of rain. It reminded her of her father.
Kaoru's heart sank. I'm comparing him to my father now… she thought. That's horrible. He's not a father figure to me! Although…he's almost old enough to be my father. Tears formed in Kaoru's eyes. This is just perfect.
Yahiko slashed the air once more. "I'm done, Kaoru!" he cheered. Kaoru said nothing and walked past him. "Kaoru?"
"Huh?" Kaoru said, snapping out of her reverie. She blinked the tears out of her eyes and turned to face her pupil. "What did you say?"
Yahiko frowned. "Jeez, why don't you pay attention, busu? I said I was done!" Much to his surprise, Kaoru did not scold him for calling her names. She merely nodded and retrieved her sword.
"What's with you today, busu?" he asked again, hoping for a response.
"Nothing, Yahiko-chan…" she replied, falling into a battle stance.
"Hey!" Yahiko yelled. Kaoru smiled and attacked. Unfortunately, her mind began to wander back to her birthday. She sighed and continued to spar.
To Be Continued