Hope this chapter isn't disappointing . Enjoy.
---
THE LONG LOST
Kenshin released a puff of air as he hung yet another sopping piece of laundry onto the clothes line. The sun was hot on his back and he had another pile left to be washed and hung. While the simple act of cleaning the laundry was relaxing for him, it didn't help rid him of the nagging feeling he had lurking at the back of his mind.
It had started when Kaoru had left for town with Jiro. The boy had not shown up at the clinic in almost an entire week. Something Kenshin had deemed suspicious purely on his instincts alone. Jiro was a possessive type, self assured attitude with a cocky grin to match. It made Kenshin uneasy the first time he laid eyes on him but now, now that he knew exactly who the kid was seemed to magnify Kenshin's suspicion of him ten fold.
The night before Kenshin had been awake, and had sensed the presence of both the spy and Kaoru. He also had a couple of pinpointed guesses as to who had sent the man. Kaoru, however, proved to be a mystery. She was still just as distant as ever, besides the fact that the laundry conversation had loosened her up a little and eased some of the tension between them. At least, he noticed, she no longer fled the room upon his entrance.
Still, he had to find a way to warn her of the danger that she thought was merely his own. Otherwise, Kaoru would fall right into their trap.
---
Kaoru giggled as Jiro shoved a bright yellow flower up under her nose. They had been walking, shopping, and mulling around for the better part of an hour. They were now cuddled underneath a billowing pink cherry blossom tree that sat a few feet from the river bank. Kaoru was overjoyed when he had shown up at the gate promising her a day away from the clinic. She hadn't gone anywhere for several days and being cooped up for so long made her jumpy.
She felt Jiro's gaze on her and shifted to meet it, "What?"
He just smiled his charming smile, "Your beautiful." He lifted a finger and brushed it lightly on the tip of her nose.
Kaoru immediately felt the red stain crawling up her neck to her face. He had told her things like this before, it was just that she could never get used to the softly spoken words and light touches that he always bestowed upon her. No man had ever shown so much interest in her and sometimes she didn't know how to react.
"Does nobody ever tell you how beautiful you are?" He noticed her blush.
"You."
"Just me?"
"Well, you -are- the first suitor I've ever had." Something flashed in his eyes but if she noticed it she didn't show it. "What about you Jiro?"
"What about me?"
Kaoru twirled the yellow flower Jiro had given to her between her fingers, "How many women have you been with?" Her curiosity was peaked. This was a subject they hadn't touched upon yet even in the year that they had known each other.
"Its not important is it?"
"I guess not. I just figured that since I told you shouldn't you tell me?"
Jiro sighed and rested his back against the rough base of the tree. Kaoru placed a soft hand onto his arm, "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
A larger hand settled atop hers, "It's okay Kaoru. It's just that the last woman I was with betrayed me and it still pains me to think on it."
Kaoru shifted her head onto Jiro's shoulder and cast her eyes onto the water in front of her, "Would it help to talk about it?"
She could feel Jiro's loving smile from above her head, even though she could not see it.
"It was a long ordeal. She had been secretly seeing another man. She felt guilty and confessed to everything. I was angry but soon forgot it once she had left me. I found out several days later that once the other man found out that she had told me, he killed her. It was a long recovery but I am mostly over it now." She raised her head to look upwards, electric blue meeting gentle periwinkle, his face full of love and contentment. "Now that I have you."
She felt his fingers brush her bangs away from her forehead and her eyes slid closed, her eyelashes coming to rest on the peach colored skin of her cheeks. Her eyelids raised again when she felt him shift, her eyes watching him as he stood and held a hand out to her.
"I should get you home before everyone starts to worry." She smiled and placed her small hand into his.
---
FLASHBACK
"We have met at last, Himura. Its unfortunate that we had no time to sit down and have a chat. I would have very much liked to have had the chance to talk to the Legendary Swordsman." A long blade stretched from the hand of the man cast in shadow, moonlight glinting metallically off of the sharp steel.
"Unfortunate indeed." Purple eyes narrowed menacingly beneath blood red bangs.
A sound crossed between a chuckle and a grunt followed the unfriendly reply, "Never had much of a sense of humor? Well then, let's finish shall we? I have other places to be."
A resounding yell and a loud clash of metal on metal.
"Why don't you give up now? You cannot defeat me. You will not escape."
"Even if I do not escape, Himura, my plans cannot be thwarted. Not even by you. You have been defeated by your own mercy."
"You talk too much." Kenshin re-sheathed his sword and took the stance of Battojutsu.
-------
Woohoo! Its getting interesting. Yes, I know that Kenshin is a bit more intense in battle than he usually is as his rurouni self. Let me explain. Kenshin has not been Battousai, meaning he has not been given the name and he was not an assassin. However, he still carries Battousai's personality while fighting and he will kill if he has a need to. Get it? Good .
---
THE LONG LOST
Kenshin released a puff of air as he hung yet another sopping piece of laundry onto the clothes line. The sun was hot on his back and he had another pile left to be washed and hung. While the simple act of cleaning the laundry was relaxing for him, it didn't help rid him of the nagging feeling he had lurking at the back of his mind.
It had started when Kaoru had left for town with Jiro. The boy had not shown up at the clinic in almost an entire week. Something Kenshin had deemed suspicious purely on his instincts alone. Jiro was a possessive type, self assured attitude with a cocky grin to match. It made Kenshin uneasy the first time he laid eyes on him but now, now that he knew exactly who the kid was seemed to magnify Kenshin's suspicion of him ten fold.
The night before Kenshin had been awake, and had sensed the presence of both the spy and Kaoru. He also had a couple of pinpointed guesses as to who had sent the man. Kaoru, however, proved to be a mystery. She was still just as distant as ever, besides the fact that the laundry conversation had loosened her up a little and eased some of the tension between them. At least, he noticed, she no longer fled the room upon his entrance.
Still, he had to find a way to warn her of the danger that she thought was merely his own. Otherwise, Kaoru would fall right into their trap.
---
Kaoru giggled as Jiro shoved a bright yellow flower up under her nose. They had been walking, shopping, and mulling around for the better part of an hour. They were now cuddled underneath a billowing pink cherry blossom tree that sat a few feet from the river bank. Kaoru was overjoyed when he had shown up at the gate promising her a day away from the clinic. She hadn't gone anywhere for several days and being cooped up for so long made her jumpy.
She felt Jiro's gaze on her and shifted to meet it, "What?"
He just smiled his charming smile, "Your beautiful." He lifted a finger and brushed it lightly on the tip of her nose.
Kaoru immediately felt the red stain crawling up her neck to her face. He had told her things like this before, it was just that she could never get used to the softly spoken words and light touches that he always bestowed upon her. No man had ever shown so much interest in her and sometimes she didn't know how to react.
"Does nobody ever tell you how beautiful you are?" He noticed her blush.
"You."
"Just me?"
"Well, you -are- the first suitor I've ever had." Something flashed in his eyes but if she noticed it she didn't show it. "What about you Jiro?"
"What about me?"
Kaoru twirled the yellow flower Jiro had given to her between her fingers, "How many women have you been with?" Her curiosity was peaked. This was a subject they hadn't touched upon yet even in the year that they had known each other.
"Its not important is it?"
"I guess not. I just figured that since I told you shouldn't you tell me?"
Jiro sighed and rested his back against the rough base of the tree. Kaoru placed a soft hand onto his arm, "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
A larger hand settled atop hers, "It's okay Kaoru. It's just that the last woman I was with betrayed me and it still pains me to think on it."
Kaoru shifted her head onto Jiro's shoulder and cast her eyes onto the water in front of her, "Would it help to talk about it?"
She could feel Jiro's loving smile from above her head, even though she could not see it.
"It was a long ordeal. She had been secretly seeing another man. She felt guilty and confessed to everything. I was angry but soon forgot it once she had left me. I found out several days later that once the other man found out that she had told me, he killed her. It was a long recovery but I am mostly over it now." She raised her head to look upwards, electric blue meeting gentle periwinkle, his face full of love and contentment. "Now that I have you."
She felt his fingers brush her bangs away from her forehead and her eyes slid closed, her eyelashes coming to rest on the peach colored skin of her cheeks. Her eyelids raised again when she felt him shift, her eyes watching him as he stood and held a hand out to her.
"I should get you home before everyone starts to worry." She smiled and placed her small hand into his.
---
FLASHBACK
"We have met at last, Himura. Its unfortunate that we had no time to sit down and have a chat. I would have very much liked to have had the chance to talk to the Legendary Swordsman." A long blade stretched from the hand of the man cast in shadow, moonlight glinting metallically off of the sharp steel.
"Unfortunate indeed." Purple eyes narrowed menacingly beneath blood red bangs.
A sound crossed between a chuckle and a grunt followed the unfriendly reply, "Never had much of a sense of humor? Well then, let's finish shall we? I have other places to be."
A resounding yell and a loud clash of metal on metal.
"Why don't you give up now? You cannot defeat me. You will not escape."
"Even if I do not escape, Himura, my plans cannot be thwarted. Not even by you. You have been defeated by your own mercy."
"You talk too much." Kenshin re-sheathed his sword and took the stance of Battojutsu.
-------
Woohoo! Its getting interesting. Yes, I know that Kenshin is a bit more intense in battle than he usually is as his rurouni self. Let me explain. Kenshin has not been Battousai, meaning he has not been given the name and he was not an assassin. However, he still carries Battousai's personality while fighting and he will kill if he has a need to. Get it? Good .