D/C: I don't own RK, if I did I would've made Kaoru a prom queen (don't ask how)!
A/N: Hi there every one, wassup? Missed you all, love you even more (some one told me sucking up can get more reviews so I thought I'd give it a shot)! I hope it works with me. Thank you to all the wonderful people who reviewed my previous chapters, I'll thank each one of you at the end of this chapter. At last but not the least, enjoy...
Chapter Four: Spill the Truth
Now, after Misao had had her chance at Kenshin and missed, it was Kaoru's turn to take the witness stand. She sat there with her eyes focused on her attorney. Never allowing them to stray to Kenshin. She had collected herself and wiped her tears. At first, Misao asked all the same basic questions and Kaoru answered them, but with every question her self control seemed to weaken one way or another. She could feel Misao's wrath in her tone; she had failed to get any points to their side from Kenshin. Aoshi had trained him hard and well.
"Why do you want to sue Mr. Himura?" Misao asked.
"I want him to pay for stealing away 15 years of my life" Kaoru answered.
"What makes you think he really wanted to marry you?"
"He often said that. He dreamed with me about a place we call home and little red heads running all over the place. We even discussed baby names. He encouraged me at weddings to 'jump high enough to get that bouquet'. And, finally, we got a marriage license"
"Miss Kamiya, please tell the court how Mr. Himura broke up with"
"He called me in the middle of the night and just told me that he wanted to break up with me"
"Were there any previous signs that he was losing interest in this relation ship?"
"No, nothing. We were even planning to go on a vacation to Hawaii together for two weeks"
Misao stole a glimpse of the jury, they seemed to sympathize well with Kaoru. Good.
"Hmmm, tell me, what have you lost in those fifteen years because of this relationship?"
"A lot. I have turned down many job opportunities just to be with him. I lost the chance to find myself a husband and a home. I'm 32 years old; I'm not exactly wanted badly out there. I want to have children of my own. Do you know that after just three years if I get pregnant for the first time there are major health risks on me and the baby? My child has a high chance of getting Down's syndrome. You think you have a lot of time, but you don't. We, women aren't like men. We don't have all that time."
Misao's jaw nearly dropped. She wanted to turn and throw Aoshi a dirty look that would make him flip backwards from his chair.
"Why did you push Mr. Himura with the idea of marriage?"
"Because I want to marry him. I love him with all my being. I want to spend eternity with him, to bear his children, to hold him in the night when he's asleep, to wake him up gently when he's having his frequent nightmares. But, apparently, I was mistaken when I believed that he returned any of those emotions" Kaoru's voice was now shaking with emotions.
Kenshin wanted to spring up and scream when he heard her words. He did feel them, but...
"So, you want to make Mr. Himura pay for that?"
Kaoru paused for a minute.
"Yes, I do," she finally said, "I saw him with another woman acting intimate while I was mourning my heart apart over him. He left scars in my heart that won't fade before the one on his cheek."
Misao opened her mouth to ask another question but Kenshin interrupted her.
"I never meant to hurt, I love you" he blurted out, his voice slightly quivering with emotions. Kaoru looked past Misao's shoulder and saw him standing up with his arms supporting him on the table. "I really loved you and still love you"
Kaoru sprang up as well.
"Then why did you leave me Kenshin, why like that?" she asked, her tears streaming again.
Kenshin swallowed hard. Silence overruled the entire court, anticipating Kenshin's answer.
"Because I love you," he finally admitted between real tears. Kaoru was severely shaken to see him cry and sob like that, "I'm a fireman and firemen die too soon in the course of action. If I marry you, have children then die, you would lose a husband and my children would lose a father. But, if I never got married, if I died, no one would lose a father, or a husband, or a son, or a brother, just a friend and friends come and go. I don't want you to be a widow"
"Don't you think I know that?" Kaoru yelled between hot sobs, "Don't you think I freak out whenever I see you in that suit? Don't you know that I pray every night that you'd survive another day? Don't you know that in those 15 years I have learned to accept it? Who gave you the right to decide whether I want this or not? I'm a grown up woman Ken, for God's sake I'm 32, I know what I'm doing! I'm in love with a fireman, just like thousands of other women out there! What made you deny me of the privilege of being with the man I love when he loves me back? Why are those women better than me?"
She fell onto the ground, her face covered with her hands, crying harder and louder. Kenshin just looked dumbstruck; aware for the first time if this point of view. No one in the court moved a muscle or made a squeak, they were all too absorbed in the situation. Kaoru's sobs echoed painfully off the walls.
"Will you marry me?" the sweet words tickled her ears softly.
Kaoru lifted her head upwards to see Kenshin kneeling in front of her holding a small black velvet box. She looked at the box quizzically. Kenshin smiled warmly as he opened it revealing a beautiful solitaire ring.
"Will you please wake me up gently when I'm having nightmares? Let me hold you in the middle of the night and bare my children?" he proposed quietly.
Aoshi rose from his chair and tilted his tall body a bit to get a better look at the ring. On seeing it, he got a brown paper bag from his brief case and started breathing into it as he sat down again.
Kaoru stared at Kenshin in shock. Even with tear stained cheeks, red nose and swelling eyes, he still believed she was the prettiest woman in the universe.
"Please" he whispered leaning closer to her. She could see the tears shimmering at the rim of his lower eyelids; he was still crying too.
She sniffed and wiped her tears then nodded.
"Yes" Sano cheered and jumped up. Megumi stood up too and started clapping. Soon, the entire court was filled with cheers and clapping.
Kenshin laughed and leaned his forehead against Kaoru, who first grinned through tears then started laughing happily too.
"Wait" Misao yelled suddenly and the silence regained like a bullet in the air, every body froze, even Aoshi's paper bag froze in its inflated shape, "How do we know that you're sincere this time? How do we know that this isn't some sort of trick to just shut this case and save your self?"
Kenshin returned his gaze from Misao to Kaoru in fear. He gasped, that glitter of happiness in her eyes vanished. She pulled her head back and stared at him doubtfully.
"Kenshin Himura," Misao called, but he didn't turn to her this time, he remained focused on Kaoru who seemed to be cowering from him, "how can you prove your intentions this time? How do we know that you won't dump her again when the case shuts?"
A/N: I'd really, really love to thank:
royal blueKitsune, vixenia, Spark the light master, Black Metalmark, cherry, Omochi, Brittanie Love, ss1128, skenshingumi, Minami-Chan.
To the following people:
Clueless Girl: So, what was that the other day? Just send me a number honey. I really miss you.
Jodibetz: Hmmm, all I can say is that you won't be disappointed. I'm very sorry.
XKenKao12X: Wow! You reviewed a LOT of my stories and nice reviews too! A zillion thanks, you're wonderful.
BlueberryStain: You better take care of yourself and good care too. What would I do without a fella RK maniac like you!
I really hope you've liked this chapter, please tell me what you think. Eager to receive your reviews...
-Shimmering Tear