AN: Once again, many thanks to your reviews!
To: Erica6060, Half-breed-demon-fox, Jing-Jing, GranolaBar, Fantasy Angel Victoria, Nanakiyoda, Prince Aoshi, Jep, Triste1, Scented Candles, Prohibited and Strawberry Promises. Thank you so much for your kind comments!
Fantasy Angel Victoria:Oh my, I think I got you very confused there O.o;; In the first chapter, it was a "flashback" to ten years ago (Kaoru was aged eight). So ten years later, she would be (10 8 18) eighteen. So now she's aged eighteen, and Kenshin being two years older, twenty. The first scene in the second chapter (which I stated three years ago) meant when Kaoru was fifteen. So now in the present, she's still eighteen. Hope my explanation didn't confuse you even more :) And thanks for commenting!
Nanakiyoda: Because in my opinion it is easier to read. Thanks for the comment :)
Triste1: Humm.. I'm not sure… Yet. Because in this fiction, her character is someone who is weak, afraid to believe. When she gets hurt, the cut is usually deep, nothing shallow. Not exactly the fiery woman in the anime series/manga. But it might take a turn in later chapters. Very OOC indeed. Anyway, thanks for your comment ;)
Chapter 3
Kaoru woke up momentarily, but didn't make a move to get up from bed. She continued to lie down, as she allowed her body to flicker cautiousness into her surroundings. She heard the heavy rain outside, as she sunk deeper into her blankets that were providing her warmth.
'Was it a dream?'
She was not sure. All she could remember was someone touching… no, caressing her face. And then there was the chuckle. The sweet, yet so familiar chuckle. Exhaling deeply, she let out a sigh.
'It's definitely a dream. It's either that, or I'm being delusional.'
She closed her eyes, visualizing him in her head. Physically, she was tired. Mentally... She was extremely exhausted.
'When are you coming back?'
She felt the urge to cry. It's just so painful, the mere thought about him. It tore her into pieces, believing that he was never going to return to her.
Many times, she reflected back to the days when he was by her side, searching for mistakes that she might have committed, mistakes that she might not have been aware of.
But found none.
Sensing a headache approaching, she buried the side of her head into her pillow, refusing to think anymore.
'I hate you Himura Kenshin. I hate you for the pain you're causing me now. I hate hate hate hate hate you.'
Hearing some soft movements maneuvering, she dismissed it as she thought it was Sayo. As she was about to call her servant to bring her some water, she was cut off by a deep, rich male voice that echoed through the room.
"Kao? Are you awake?"
In a swift instant, her eyes snapped open, body stiffening.
And her breath hitched.
And her heartbeat stopped.
And time had disappeared for Kamiya Kaoru that very instant.
.
.
.
She dared not move. She didn't even dare look up. Millions of thoughts were racing back and forth, her breathing unsurprisingly irregular.
"Kao, are you awake?" again, the voice repeated.
Then she heard hollow footsteps coming towards her. She shut her eyes tightly, clutching onto her pillow, as if clinging for dear life.
'I'm being delusional. This is an illusion. A hallucination. That's right. This is not happening. This is not happening. This is n-'
Her body relaxed a little after repeating the mantra, but tensed up again as she felt him behind her, stroking her hair gently.
He was behind her.
Oh God.
"Aren't you going to get up?" he whispered as he sat on the edge of her bed, knowing very well she was awake.
Feeling the shift of weight on her bed, she suddenly felt nervous.
She was afraid, very much afraid that she was dreaming. That when she turned, there would be nothing but air, and it was in her mind all along. She didn't think that she could even cope with disappointment at this stage.
But something inside told her, urged her to turn. Then slowly, but surely, she moved her head to where the voice came from.
And then she saw him. Face to face. His nose, his mouth, his ears, his eyes… His scar. Everything. An unknown aura washed over her, as the sight that she had yearned to see for three damn years, was here. Right in front of her.
She reached out her right arm shakily, touching and feeling the texture of his face. She wanted to make sure he was real. He smiled, and replied by clasping her hand that was on his face with his.
And all doubt washed away.
'He's back. He's really back.'
Completely lost for words, she sucked back a sob. She would not cry, not now. She felt everything around her disappearing, her eyes only focused on his.
"I see…" He said at first, breaking the tension. Reluctantly, he continued. "… That you haven't opened your bakery shop yet."
Immediately she jolted up and grabbed him in her arms. Hugging him tightly with all her might, afraid to let him go. Not caring anymore, she started sobbing uncontrollably.
He hugged her back as tightly, soothing her softly with gentle words. He buried his head in her hair, inhaling her scent that sent familiar feelings and emotions flooding through his veins.
"Don't l-leave me again. P-Please…. Just don't l-leave me again." She choked out in between her sobs. Her voice was croaking, and she hated the fact that she sounded so pathetic in front of him.
She was having a breakdown, and she knew it.
"I won't." He assured her. "Never again."
.
.
.
"I'm not afraid I'm not afraid I'm not afraid I'm no- AHHHHHHHH!" she was whispering silently to herself, but ended up in high pitch screams as her small body ducked under her thick comforter.
'It's only lighting, dummy. There's nothing to be afraid of.' She scolded herself mentally.
So why was she shaking as if there was a mad rapist on the loose? The thundering sound of lighting came again, and again she screamed. She wanted to cry so badly, for she was filled with so much fear.
She remembered briefly seeing her mother lie on her death bed, face pale as snow. During that period, her mother was very weak, as she could not even hold her glass of milk properly. It would slip as soon as she held it, shattering the glass into pieces. It seemed that as days passed, her strength was being sucked out bit by bit.
Similarly on that day, it was raining cats and dogs. The wind was blowing heavily, and thunder came crashing down to the face of the earth.
Exactly like what was happening now.
The wind continued to howl, forcing the branches of a willow tree to scratch her window simultaneously. Thus producing an eerie sound.
And that made it all the creepier, than it already was. She was about to scream again, when she heard a squeaky voice, calling out to her.
"Kao, Are you alright?"
She willed herself to pop her head out from the thick comforter. And when she did, she saw Kenshin in his pajamas. He was holding on to her door, eyes etched with worry.
Thank the Lord.
-
Half a minute later, he was lying down next to her, listening to all her worries and fears. When she was finished, he assured her that thunders would go away, as well as calming her down with much effort. She sniffed a little and turned to hug him, to his utmost surprise.
"Thank you so much, Kenshin."
He smiled, and hugged her back. He kissed her cheek, whispering- "Rest now, Kao. I'll be with you until you fall asleep."
.
.
.
.
.
.
She was sitting on his lap, with his arms wrapped around her protectively. They were comfortably resting on her chair that faced the long, glass window. All she heard was the rain, and his breathing.
She still couldn't seem to convince herself to believe that he's back. It just seemed so… surreal. It was a moment of peaceful silence, when she unwillingly broke it. After all, her curiosity killed the cat.
"Why didn't you come see me even once, in three years?" She asked, fiddling with his fingers.
There was another silence, as thunder roared outside.
"I… I couldn't come see you, even though I wanted to." He finally answered, choosing his words carefully.
"Why not?" She wanted an answer. She needed an answer.
"There were some issues that were going on in the kingdom. I needed time to fix some things, and I wasn't allowed to leave the kingdom, even for a day."
"What issues?"
He wasn't willing to spare any details. If he could, he would rather keep everything to himself. But then again, she had every right to know. Battling on weather should he tell her everything, he finally decided to keep it brief.
"Well, it involved…. Corrupted officials. My peoples' lives were in danger, and there was also a pest lingering around, and I had to take care of it. It's all just very complex."
"Since this is such big news, how come my land did not receive any information about this matter?" she asked, surprised.
"I strictly told parties involved to keep it a secret. Spreading the news around would just invite my father's enemy to attack us with open arms. It would be an advantage for them, after all." He explained.
"How in the world did you manage to keep something so big?"
"I have my ways." He grinned.
She smiled a little, but there were still so many questions left unanswered. And Kaoru Kamiya was not known for her patience, never was. Never will.
'Now isn't the right time. Another day would come, and your questions would be answered then. All that matters now is that he's here, with you.' A voice inside said.
"But… You could have at least written to me…" she said softly. His grin faltered, as her tone reflected hurt.
"I'm sorry Kao… I just… couldn't." he apologized, tightening his grip on her.
'It's alright. All that matters is that he's here.' The voice inside said again.
That's right.
'All that matters is that you're here.'
.
.
.
Four days have passed, and the princess was lifted in spirits. She was genuinely happy, overjoyed even, that her lover has returned.
Seeing that she was paranoid all this while, she shook her head. He wanted to see her, but he was just not allowed to.
So it wasn't his fault.
She smiled to herself, as she walked through the halls. Sayo was accompanying her as they headed towards the chief advisor's room. He had asked to see her earlier on, to discuss some matters. Though she had a hint on what "matters" they were going to discuss about.
Her marriage with Kenshin.
She was finally going to marry the person whom she loved, ever since she was a child. Someone who was often times there for her, someone who she was sure going to treat her right. Is everything going to go uphill from now? She wondered.
Definitely. Something in her gut told her it would.
As she entered the room, she saw that Kenshin was already seated down. He flashed her a lazy smile, as she grinned back. Iiezuwashi bowed, as he started off with suggestions, plans, and arrangements about the wedding. Then he explained the procedures, and how the ceremony would be held.
After some alteration in the date and time, all three parties came to an agreement that they would to wed in two months time. Which falls in the month of Christmas. The princess wanted everything to be perfect, atmosphere and season included. Iiezuwashi insisted that they should wed next week instead, but eventually gave in to the princess's request.
Everyone was happy about it, except for one particular person.
The captain had immediately protested, as soon as he found out that she were to marry Battousai. In complete shock, he demanded to see the princess.
"But he's your father's murderer!" he exclaimed hastily.
"I have asked him about this matter, and he told me straight that he did not do it. I've given you enough time to investigate this case, captain. And yet you failed to fulfill it." She replied, voice steady.
"Your majesty, I did carry out my duties, and I did give you a name, did I not?" He asked, defending himself.
"Yes, you did." She admitted. "But it is not the right name that you gave me."
"With all due respect, your majesty, But wouldn't it occur to you that he might be lying? The evidence and inform-"
"He would not lie to me, captain. Get that through. He would never lie to me." She cut in, hissing. Angry that he would dare think that Kenshin would lie to her.
He was, on the other hand, quite taken aback.
"But princess, if h-"
"You're dismissed, captain."
"Bu-"
"Do you not understand my command?" she asked, clearly evident that she was trying to hide her annoyance.
"Yes, your majesty." And with that, he exited hesitantly, unsatisfied.
She sighed, as she got up from the chair that she was sitting on. Glancing on her full length mirror, she stared at her reflection.
'He would never lie to me. I know he wouldn't.'
.
.
.
It was in the afternoon when Sayo was walking alone, exploring through the gardens. Her mistress was currently spending time with her husband-to-be, leaving her free for the time being. Strolling down a lane that were planted with white roses left and right, she plucked one.
She remembered the princess telling her once what a white rose meant.
'When someone dies, you put white roses on their coffin. Some would give white roses to the family instead, a way to say "my condolences". So in a way, it's meant for funerals.'
"But a white rose is too beautiful to have such a meaning..." she said to herself.
Distracted by her own thoughts, she did not notice a tall, slinky man coming her way. He must have failed to notice her as well, as they collided -causing the two of them to fall on the floor.
Hard.
"Dammit man! Watch it, will you?! Are you blind or something?" he complained harshly, not looking up. Groaning at the pain that came running through him, he got up slowly.
"Excuse me? I believe that it is you that knocked into me. You've got some nerve, speaking like that." Sayo snapped at him, irritated. She couldn't believe that she was just about to apologize to this rude barbarian.
He was about to say something vulgar, but stopped when he looked up. She was glaring at him, as she dusted off her dress. But in his eyes, all he saw was a lady. A real pretty lady. His face broke into a grin, as he offered his hand.
"My name's Sanosuke. But you can call me Sano for short, beautiful." He introduced, giving her a sexy smile.
She raised an eyebrow, irritation still glowing on her face. 'He sure changes his moods quickly.'
"Well, aren't you going to tell me who you are?"
"Um, no?" she replied sarcastically. Seeing that he wasn't even thinking about apologizing to her, she spun her heels and walked away.
"W-wait!" he shouted, jogging up to her.
"What?" She asked, clearly annoyed.
Walking side by side, he casually put his arms around her shoulders, shocking the lights out of her. "Do you want to go out with me sometime?"
"For one, get your filthy hands off me." She said in a voice strangely calm, jerking his hands off her. Even though his hands were not on her now, he was still standing too close to her, much to her discomfort.
So she pushed him away, and threw the white rose she was holding on to his face. Her mistress's voice rang through her again;
'When someone dies, you put white roses on their coffin. Some would give white roses to the family instead, a way to say "my condolences". So in a way, it's meant for funerals.'
"And for another, that would answer your question, you jerk." With that, she stomped off angrily.
He stood there, picking up the rose.
"She likes me."
.
.
.
AN: I had to make Sano's appearance SOMEWHERE.
.
.
.
Please review! (This time I said it differently, as the past chapters I said "Review please!".)
